The Chosen Heir
by Blakely Evans
Summary: Master of and chosen by Death, Harry Potter is sent to a new world where it's his mission to save his soul.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Here is a new story for everyone to enjoy. ALSO...This will have SLASH...if you don't like it, don't read.**

 **Disclaimer: I shall never own the great HP and Co.**

* * *

Darkness.

It surrounded him, suffocated him.

He'd allowed Voldemort to hit him with the killing curse, thus killing the small part of Voldemort that was inside him. Everything happened so fast after that, after Hagrid carried him to the castle, it seemed that the battle started in full swing. Coming forward he battled Voldemort, where it all finally came to an end. Looking down at the pile of robes that had been the most evil wizard, Harry couldn't begin to explain what he was feeling at that moment. Yes, the wizarding world was saved but at what cost? Thinking on all the bodies he had passed, the families grieving, the ones to young to fight. His eyes burned with the prospect of trying to hold back tears as he heard Ron and Hermione call out to him. He started to turn but it appeared to him that the fight with Voldemort has taken more of a toll on him then he thought, as his world turns black and the last thing he can remember is his name being called over and over.

The darkness eventually faded and Harry slowly opened his eyes. What awaited him was a seemingly empty white room, he slowly stood up and wondered what happened. He was in such deep thought that when a voice rang out from behind him, he jumped.

"Ah Harry Potter…finally I am able to meet you."

Harry spun around to find a person wearing a cloak as dark as midnight that covered his face and which meant that this could only be one person.

Harry gave a small nod, "Death…how nice to meet you…too. I was under the impression that I would meet you…well at death."

Death laughed. "That would normally be true but your time in that world is over."

"What do you mean," asked a confused Harry. He wanted to get back and make a life with Ginny, finally have a family.

Death sighs as if this is the last conversation he wanted to have but never the less plows on through. "My fellow guardians and I were watching the time stream when we saw something in a different reality very much like this one with a future that can not happen."

Harry was even more confused but listened as Death looked at Harry.

"Tell me Harry…what do you know of souls?"

Harry had to shake his head, he knew next to nothing and wished that Hermione were here to give him some insight.

Death gave a nod as if he had been expecting that answer. "When people are born, their soul is the same, no matter what reality that person lives in. However that does not mean they will grow up the same way. People make their lives with the experiences that influence them the most."

Harry grew silent. "What does that have to do with me?" He finally spoke up in a quiet voice.

Death looked Harry in the eye, "you are the Master of Death and it has always been written that you would achieve this goal. In this reality you used that knowledge for good…but in another…"

Harry paled at what Death was implying. "You mean…"

Death could only nod, "Yes…you, Harry Potter had become the new Dark Lord, and what's more…this darkness has contaminated your soul."

Suddenly images began to play around them, showcasing just how dark Harry had been and it caused Harry to grow faintly sick.

Harry grew even more pale as Death continued, "your soul can no longer be considered pure and light. If it continues, soon your soul will be so overrun with evil that it won't get the chance for the after life or rebirth. You'll be doomed to wonder the earth as a mindless, vengeful spirit."

Harry clenched his fists and grew determined, "is there a way that I can fix this?"

Death smiled and snapped his fingers. They had arrived in what seemed to be a train of some sorts that was going backwards. "I had thought you would say that. This is the time train and will stop at some point and drop you in this new life. However I should warn you…when you arrive in the new reality you will be given a new identity and it will be your task to make sure that Harry Potter remains light."

Harry nodded while looking at the window, frowning at the images flying by. He finally turned away unable to look at himself partaking in acts that brought about death and suffering.

"Will I know who I am when I stop?" He asked with his eyes closed.

Death gave a sly smile, "that will be up to you. A few things before I take my leave of you. The first is that to help you on your task you will keep all your knowledge of your old reality…use it well. Secondly, I have decided to get rid of the Hallows. They are objects that give away too much power and thus I want you to destroy them."

Harry winced. That meant destroying his cloak and he wasn't sure he wanted to get rid of that. Death must have sensed his thoughts because he gave Harry a smile, "on second thought…you can keep the cloak but please destroy the others."

Harry gave a small nod. Death flashed out and Harry leaned back, thinking on what Death had said. He wondered what his home life was like, Death hadn't said anything so it was Harry's guess. This thought had barely crossed his mind when all of a sudden the train stopped and spit Harry out onto the ground in a flash of light.

* * *

Harry opened his eyes, blinking the light away. Shaking his head he started to get his bearings. He brought his hands up to his face and inwardly groaned. ' _I'_ _m seven_ _…_ _why on earth am I seven again._ _'_

Looking around he saw that he had landed outside of the Leaky Cauldron. He stood up and dusted himself off and went inside. He was about to go and speak with Tom the landlord when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and looked into the eyes of someone who looked familiar but Harry couldn't place.

The man smiled, "whats your name, kid?"

Harry inwardly groaned, he hadn't given much thought to his name, when suddenly the right name popped into his head, "Aries."

"Well Aries, my name is Frank Longbottom." Of course. Now that he knew his name Harry could see the resemblance to Neville. "Where are your parents?"

Tears suddenly came to his eyes and Harry looked down at his feet. "I'm not sure. All I remember is a green light, and mum yelling at me to run away. I closed my eyes and the next thing I know I'm here."

Frank frowned, what this child was describing was clearly the work of renegade Death Eaters. Even though their leader was gone, his followers were still out there and causing havoc. He looked down at the young child and took in his features, his hair was black and slightly wavy, and he gasped as he took in the child's eyes. They were a dark blue that Frank knew belonged to only one person, and indeed as Frank continued to glance at the child it was looking more and more like miniature of this person. He wondered how he could have missed that similarity.

"You described your mother…what about your father?"

Death hadn't seen fit to give him the details of his new life except his mother's name so Harry had no idea. "I have no clue who my father is."

Frank drew in a deep breath, if what he was thinking was true then this was none other then Sirius's child. There was only one thing to do. He would have to put off his errands and deal with this instead. He bent down to look in the child's eyes, "well I'm sure we can fix this. For now, we should get you looked at. Let's go to St. Mungo's."

They went there without delay. Aries was sitting down on the table when the medi witch came in. She was a petite blond haired women and Aries couldn't help thinking that he knew her from somewhere but he couldn't quite place it. She turned to Frank, "Frank, what are you doing here? I thought you were running errands."

Frank smiled at his wife and motioned to Aries on the table, "I found young Aries wondering around with no parents. When I asked him who he was, he couldn't remember anything. I was hoping you could help, Alice."

Alice. Of course, he only knew one Alice and that was Neville's mother. So this could only be Alice Longbottom. Aries glanced at the women and could see the resemblance. So Neville's mum worked at St. Mungos, he inwardly smiled and was pleased at the thought that Neville had his parents in this reality. Though thinking about the Longbottoms made him think that his parents were alive here and he tried not to let that thought come through because although he was Harry Potter, he also wasn't and the Lily and James Potter weren't his parents, they were the other Harry's.

She gave him a smile, "lets get started then." She waved her wand, and waited for the results. She frowned, "hmm…that's weird." She waved her wand again, and as she hummed again, she must have gotten the same results.

Frank noticed as well, "what's the problem, Alice?"

She yelped as if she had forgotten he was in the room but explained the issue. "Well…it seems that his father is…" she hesitated…"is Sirius Black and the mother is…was a muggle."

Aries took that piece of information in stride, so he was the son of Sirius and a muggle. Frank frowned, "well…that's news," he looked over at Aries, "but now that you mention it, I did notice the characteristics of the Black family. The only question is how will Sirius take this?"

Aries inwardly frowned, why would him being here be a problem for Sirius. He decided to play dumb. "Um…do you know this Sirius person?"

They both turned to the child on the table, and each one gave Aries smiles that seemed forced. Alice was the one to speak up, "Frank, why don't you go and give Sirius a call." He nodded and then left the room. Alice turned back to Aries, wondering what she should tell the seven year old kid. "Well…" She was interrupted when Frank returned along with Sirius and a pretty blond haired witch that must have been Sirius's wife.

Sirius for his part couldn't believe what Frank Longbottom had just told him. One moment he had been at home with his wife and their two children when Frank burst through the floo yelling at Sirius to get his butt over to St. Mungo's. He'd flooed over followed by his wife and it was then that Frank had told him the news, and he was floored. He then had to see for himself, and he rushed to St. Mungo's while his wife followed at a more sedate pace.

When the door opened, he was more then floored, he was shocked. It was like going back in time.

Aries watched Sirius come forward his eyes never breaking contact. "It's like looking at a mini me." Sirius spoke what everyone was thinking. Aries took a moment to glance at his godfather. He had long black hair, and blue eyes, and Aries could tell that Sirius liked a good laugh. Overall he seemed happier and healthier and Aries silently approved.

"Who's the mother?" Marlene asked, glancing over at Alice.

She looked at the results, and both Sirius and Remus could tell she seemed down, "well it seems like his mother was…a muggle named Jordan."

Sirius gasped. Jordan had been a one night stand when Sirius had had to much to drink during a brief breakup with Marlene right out of school. To think that she had been pregnant with his child, and had kept it from him made him burn with anger.

Alice placed her hand on Sirius's shoulder. "Sirius…she only did what she thought was right."

He turned on Alice and growled, "how is keeping a child from his father right."

Frank stepped in front of Alice, "what's done is done and in the past. What matters now is that he's where he belongs. Now calm down, your scaring the kid."

Sirius turned around and saw that Frank was right. The boy was hiding behind Frank and peering around his legs with tears in his eyes. Sirius's heart broke, and he bent down to gaze at the child. He opened his arms, and beckoned for him to come closer.

Aries took his hand and to his surprise he was lifted off the table and set on the ground. Sirius knelt down next to him and gave him a smile sensing his nervousness. Aries glanced down, "Aries" he said quietly. From the quiet response Sirius could tell what kind of life he might have led and he would have to fix it. Sirius gently lifted Aries face so that their eyes met. "I don't know what kind of life you've been living before now, but I can promise that from now on you've got family behind you, and people who care about you." He gathered Aries in his arms and Aries allowed Sirius to hug him close, the overall emotion of the day finally getting to him. Sirius stood up, bringing Aries along with him, wrapping his arms around the boy. Aries didn't know whether to be embarrassed or what but he chose to simply ignore what he was feeling and settle in Sirius's arms. Chances are he would never get this opportunity again so better take it while he could and he was rather tired, so he laid his head on Sirius's shoulder and promptly fell asleep.

Alice shook her head, "poor kid…he's been through a lot."

"What do you mean," asked Sirius.

Alice looked over her diagnostic reports. "Well…it looks like he's suffering from malnutrition, plus he's been abused. He show's signs of broken bones, bruises and more."

Sirius's arms tightened around Aries. Marlene thanked the Longbottoms, and the new family made their way back to the manor. When they stepped through the floo into the Black family home, Aries was woken by Sirius. He sleepily wiped his eyes, "what's going on?"

Sirius smiled, "I just wanted to introduce you to some people." Aries nodded and Sirius set the boy down calling two names. There was a thundering noise and soon two small bodies flew into the room. One was a boy with dark blond hair and blue eyes and the other one was a girl with blond hair and green eyes. It seemed that Aries was the only one with Sirius's hair.

Sirius placed his hand on Aries back and pushed him forward, "Aries…this is Regulas and Elara. Your new brother and sister." He smiled at the two kids who were looking at Aries with curisoty alight in their eyes, "Regulas and Elara…this is Aries, your older brother." Elara grinned at Aries while Regulas seemed wary. Aries wanted to get to talk with them but it was time for bed so all three were taken and made ready for bed.

* * *

Aries woke up the next morning and for a minute wondered where he was, then he remembered the night before. He heard voices coming from downstairs and wondered why they didn't come wake him for breakfast. He jumped off the bed and started getting ready for the day. He went to shower, and when he came out of the bathroom finally noticing bags around his bed. Someone must have brought them up when he got in the shower. The door opened and Sirius stuck his head in, "good afternoon Aries. I sent the ladies out this morning for some new clothes. Get dressed and come down whenever you're ready."

From what Aries saw there must be hundreds of bags that were filled with new clothes. He sniffed and didn't know what to say, no one had ever done this for him and it showed how much people cared. He ran over to Sirius, who was looking at him in confusion, and gave him a big hug, and whispered "thank you."

Sirius patted him on the back, gave a wink then shut the door so Aries could get ready. Aries took a look through the bags until he found a pair of black jeans, and a blue t-shirt along with the basics. He pulled them on and then feeling ready to start the day padded down the stairs.

"Aries!" Elara shouted, getting down from her chair seat, splashing her mother, who was trying to feed the young girl.

This of course had everyone at the table turn around to look at him. Aries took a moment to look around the table. There was Sirius and Marlene, and Remus was seated beside them and then there were the Potters. James, with messy black hair, hazel eyes that twinkled behind a pair of wire frame glasses, then there was Lily, beautiful with her long red hair and green eyes. He looked further down the table and had to bite back a yelp, because sitting there looking right at home was none other then Severus Snape with a pretty black haired lady, who looked a little like none other then James Potter.

Lily Potter got up and came to stand next to Aries. "You must be Aries. My name is Lily Potter," she put a hand on his back and guided him to the table, introducing as she went. "You already know Sirius and Marlene. Next to them is a good friend, Remus Lupin." Lily continued on, "next to them is my husband who thinks he's five, James Potter." Aries smiled while everyone at the table laughed.

"She's got you there Prongs." Sirius laughed.

James Potter, aka Prongs, smirked, "like you're any better Padfoot."

Sirius blinked and pouted admist the smiles. Lily shook her head but went on, "then we have Severus Snape and his wife Juliet, who is actually James's little sister." Aries blinked in confusion, so James had siblings here, well that was news, and why they all seemed to be on good terms with each other. She then went on to introduce the children, "lets see, there's Regulus and Elara. Teddy is Remus's," she pointed to a light blond haired brown eyes boy who looked about Regulus's age. "Then there's my son Alexander and his sister Jamie." Aries could see the resemblance and while Alexander didn't have black hair like Harry it was still a dark brown, and he had hazel eyes. Jamie was a miniature version of his mother and knew that she would be a heartbreaker when she was older. Aries inwardly frowned, wondering where Harry Potter was and why wasn't he here as well. "Finally we have little Jude." This was a child who had inherited his father's coloring but thankfully his mothers good looks. She looked down at Aries, gave him a smile and then steered him to a seat next to Elara.

Aries looked around and saw that pretty much everyone had finished eating. Elara sensed his thoughts and gave him a pat on the arm, "don't worry, bro'thr. I'll wait with you." Aries gave a small smile and nodded, as Kretcher brought out a plate filled with food. The rest of the children were excused and ran to the playroom, extracting a promise from Aries to come up as soon as he was finished eating. Aries began to eat, trying to keep an ear in both the adult's conversation and what Elara was talking about. He finally gave up, he'd have to figure out what was going on another time and listened to Elara with his full attention. She was going on and on about some little thing that had to do with her dolls, and Aries tried not to groan, giving small smiles and nods. As soon as he was done he carefully picked Elara out of her highchair and left for the playroom.

The adults watched him go, and James gave a laugh. "It hasn't even been one night and already she's got him wrapped around her finger." Lily slapped him in the arm, "I think it's cute."

James pouted, while Sirius, Remus and Severus smirked at his predicament. Juliet turned to the Blacks, "I'm glad you found him though, if what you said was true, he needed to be rescued."

Lily agreed. "Are you terribly upset at the fact that Regulus is no longer the heir?" spoke Lily to her best friend, Marlene.

Marlene pursed her lips as the conversation got quiet around the table. She was about to speak up when Aries came running back into the room. He came up to Marlene and spoke up, "I just wanted to say thank you for the new clothes." He gave her a dashing smile along with a hug and a kiss to the cheek then preceded to do the same to Lily and Juliet, leaving as quickly as he came, leaving the women in shock.

Sirius and James of course, just laughed. While Remus hid his smirk behind his cup of tea, and Severus groaned. "Great…just what I need, another Black who thinks he's man's gift to earth."

This of course just made James and Remus laugh even harder, while Sirius sputtered. "Hey…I'm pretty sure that was an insult." He looked over at James, "right, Prongsie?"

James shook his head, "you're on your own with that one."

Lily turned from the conversation the ladies were having, hearing Severus's comment and smirked. "And what makes you think that you're in the clear. You do realize that he could have easily have gotten the idea from your own son."

James grimaced. "You're right, Lily-flower." He glared at Sirius, "Pads…keep your womanizing ways away from my children."

Remus smirked. "I think womanizing should be the last thing you need to worry about…more like pranking."

Sirius and James groaned, while Severus closed his eyes, shaking his head. Remus had a point, they could already imagine the grey hairs they would have when it was time to start Hogwarts. The women smiled, each one thinking of all the payback that they would be receiving when the children went to school.

Upstairs in the playroom, havoc was being caused. Aries entered with Elara and was soon swamped on all sides. Alexander pushed forward, "so you're Aries Black…we must be the same age." Aries nodded and Alexander grinned. "Great, we're going to have such a blast when we get to Hogwarts."

After introducing the children and getting the ages, Teddy, Regulus and Jamie were all five, while Jude and Elara were three, the children played until the parents came to gather their children.

It was a few days later that Regulus and Elara had doctors appointments so Marlene gathered them up and left, leaving Sirius and Aries. Sirius had some work to get done, so after checking to see if Aries would be ok on his own, he left for his office. Aries took this time to introduce himself to the Black library.

Glancing up and down the shelves, he gathered a few books for him to read. Sitting down in a chair, he opened the first one, entitled _A Beginner_ _'_ _s Guide to Runes_ by Martha Hilde and started reading. He soon lost himself in the book and fell asleep in the chair, the book hanging messily off his lap.

Marlene had been having an awful week. Even though they put up a strong front, there was an underlying tension between her and Sirius. Thankfully the children hadn't picked up on it, but the longer it went on she was sure they would soon start to ask questions. The reason for all this tension was none other then Aries Black…Marlene didn't know what to think about him.

She had gotten back from the kid's doctors visits and Aries was nowhere to be seen and so she had taken it upon herself to search for him. Marlene opened the door to the library, wondering who could be in here at this hour. What she saw was Aries, curled up in a chair fast asleep, a book sitting in his lap. She walked over and couldn't help the smile that came over her face. She also instantly felt guilty, it was clear that Aries needed to be rescued and seeing this look a like Sirius was a little weird because Sirius was the type of person who never studied, but that wasn't the case with his son. She bent down and brushed Aries hair out of his eyes, sighing on the inside. She herself was a muggle-born so it's not like she hated the fact that his mother was muggle, it was more the fact that he represented the fact that Sirius had cheated on her. She stilled as she felt Sirius come and bend down next to her, and put his arms around her.

"Mar…I'm truly sorry. I don't know what to do to make you forgive me," he whispered in her ear. She turned to face him and looked into those blue eyes that she had fallen in love with during their time at Hogwarts and felt her anger fade. She could never stay angry at him for long. She placed her forehead on his own, "it's fine…I could never stay angry at you for long."

He smiled, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Aries smiled to himself, he'd awoken but due to the nature of the scene playing out before him, pretended like he was still asleep. It was nice to know that Sirius and Marlene had made up, it had been getting a little tense around home.

Marlene smirked, "alright you little sneaker. I know you saw that."

Aries opened his eyes and gave an innocent smile. "See what, I didn't see anything." Marlene rolled her eyes while Sirius didn't look embarrassed at all for that little bit of PDA. "Come on, it's time for bed." Aries jumped off the chair and gathered the books to bring back to his room, and with a wave rushed off to his bedroom. He stuck his head in the door, "Don't stay up to late…" winked and then was off.

Sirius laughed and Marlene blushed at the implications. Sirius pretended to wipe a tear from his eyes. "He's even better at this age then I was…I can already see the hearts breaking at Hogwarts."

Marlene inwardly face palmed, and beckoning to Sirius they left for their bedroom, making good on what Aries had implied.

* * *

A few days before Christmas, Aries was in a predicament. Over the weeks he'd gotten closer to his new family, including Marlene who seemed to have forgiven him for what his presence meant to the family. He loved spending time with Regulus and Elara and loved being a big brother. However, due to the fact that he had needed to heal he had spent the last few weeks at the Black family Residence, but he was finally healed so for Christmas they would finally be going to the Potter's.

Hence his predicament, he needed to get presents, and only now realized that he was quite broke.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on Sirius's door. "Um…Sirius?"

Sirius looked up from some paperwork, waved Aries in, "what can I do for you Aries."

Aries looked at the ground, not quite sure how to ask his question, he didn't want to seem needy or greedy but went ahead anyway.

"Well Christmas is coming up, and I wanted to get presents for everyone," he paused, glancing at Sirius who was nodding in understanding.

"That's right, we haven't talked about your allowance." He looked at Aries, "we've decided to give you 20 gallons a month as an allowance. What you do with it is up to you, but be careful…there's no advance payments so try not to spend it all."

Aries smiled and nodded, "Can I go to Diagon Ally today?"

Sirius shook his head, and Aries deflated. Sirius scratched his chin, "well, I think Remus needed to visit Diagon Ally, so let me see if he can take you?"

Aries grinned at Sirius and soon Aries was walking alongside with Remus in Diagon Ally. Teddy had wanted to stay and play with Regulus so he was at Grimmauld Place.

"Remus?" The wizard in question, turned to the young boy and Remus paused, waiting for what was to come next.

"I know that Sirius and James are aurors, and Severus works at Hogwarts. What do you do for a living?"

Remus nodded. He wondered when this would come up, "I don't work in the wizarding world. I have a condition that makes it hard for me to find work so I work in the muggle world." Aries inwardly frowned at that, one thing he wanted to do was find a way to help Remus. Remus smiled down at young Aries, "in fact I work with Lily, we run a small bookstore."

Aries smiled, that was so Remus and Lily, it suited them. "What kinds of books do you have in your store?"

Remus looked ahead, "all kinds, and we're known to have a knack for finding what ever book a person needs."

Aries let out a laugh, and Remus had to keep back the awe at how much it sounded like Sirius. When Sirius had told them what had happened, they were all in shock and disbelief, but when they all saw the child, it was like going back in time. Remus was sure he would never get over how much they looked and acted alike.

He stopped at the apothecary's, "here we go, first stop of the day."

Aries followed him into the shop, and busied himself looking around the store all the while asking questions about certain ingredients and such. After they were done there, Remus helped him pick out gifts, for the women he got very pretty scarves, and for the men he picked books that he thought were appropriate. He decided to get candy for the children, and wondered what kind of candy Harry liked.

He glanced up at Remus, "what should I get Harry Potter?"

Remus looked uncomfortable at the question, "I'm not sure what Harry likes…"

Aries inwardly sighed. Feeling that Harry didn't get to many gifts he felt that he wanted to get Harry something other then candy, so decided to head back to Florish and Botts, and picked up a book on defense that he knew would come in handy.

Christmas Eve came and found Aries and company flooing to the Potters in Godric's Hollow. Aries tumbled out of the fireplace, got to his feet, and brushed himself off.

Alexander rushed forward, "Aries, you're here!"

Aries grinned, "hey Alexander."

Alexander grabbed his hand, pulling him to his room. "Come on, I got this new toy and I want to show you."

Jamie had other plans, "that's not fair. Aries wants to play with me." She stood with Elara in her hands, who both turned their puppy dog eyes towards Aries.

Alexander groaned, "who wants to play with girls?"

Aries actually wanted to visit the Potter library, as Sirius had told him it was filled with even more books on warding and runes. He sighed, he'd have to visit during the night. He needed to figure out a neutral plan and looked outside and had an idea, "why don't we go outside and have a snowball fight?"

Alexander grinned, "excellent idea." He turned to his mother, and pleaded, "can we go play outside?" The other children turned to their respective mothers, and one father, turning the puppy dog glance into a war tactic.

Lily shared a glance with Marlene. "Come on Lils, you might as well give in…their going to keep on going until you let them out," James spoke.

Lily and Marlene sighed at the losing battle. "Fine, but make sure you all bundle up."

The children yelled and went to begin collecting their winter attire. Aries briefly wondered if he should invite Harry but realized that he didn't know Harry yet, so it might seem strange. Soon they were bundled up and ready to head outside, and it was one glorious fight. The youngest children, Elara and Jude stayed close to the porch with their mothers, while James, Remus and Sirius joined in adding to the mixture.

Aries waited until it was midnight, first making his way down to the den where the tree was set up. He set his presents down, glad he had gotten something for Harry as the only gift he had seemed to get was one, and it was most likely from the looks of it some article of clothing. He sighed, and made his way up to the library. When he got there he saw a soft light coming from the door. He quietly opened the door and peeked inside. Harry Potter was sitting in the chair, curled up in a blanket, reading a book. He glanced up when the door opened and for the first time Aries met the eyes of Harry Potter. Aries entered the room, and started to look for some books, when he noticed Harry getting up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Aries questioned.

Harry glanced at him, and cast his eyes down to the floor. "I was just leaving…no one likes to be in the same room with me."

Aries frowned at that statement. On one hand he wanted to be mad at the Potters but on the other hand he also wanted to get this chance to know them as well. He resolved then to make sure that Harry at least knew that he cared.

Aries shook his head, "no, its fine. You can stay…in fact maybe you can help me find the books I was looking for?"

Harry looked up with hope in his eyes. "Really, you don't mind?"

Aries shook his head, "I'm looking for books on Runes and Warding?" Harry's eyes widened, "you like Runes?" Aries nodded and Harry disappeared into the darkness and returned with a handful of books.

He set them down, "these are the best on Runes and there's also this book on Warding that shows you how to use Runes and Warding together…" he trailed off at Aries expression.

He grew red and glanced down at the floor. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. Aries shook his head and soon both boys were knee deep in the books they had piled around themselves and were having pleasant conversation. The talk soon turned to yawns and both boys fell asleep, back to back.

Aries woke when the sun streamed on his face, and he could hear the noise that was coming from downstairs. He shook Harry awake.

"Come on Harry…lets go open presents."

Harry frowned as if this was the last thing he wanted to do, but Aries grinned. "You never know what you might find."

Grabbing his hand Aries pulled Harry out to the hallway and down the stairs, to see everyone gathered.

Sirius looked up from where he sat with Marlene, and shared a glance with James at who had followed Aries down the stairs. Everyone had been wondering where the two were and it was surprising to see Aries with Harry.

Aries ignored everyone's eye's and pulled Harry to a spot big enough for two people on one of the couches. "Good morning!" He cried out to everyone.

Harry crawled up behind Aries and echoed the greeting. "Good morning."

Lily gave a smile, to the boys. "Good morning. We were just going to find you. Where were you hiding out?"

Aries gave a sly grin, before slyly looking at Sirius. "I fell asleep in the library this morning, and found Harry there, so we came down together."

Sirius groaned, he would have a Ravenclaw on his hands if he didn't do anything to change that. Marlene laughed, "well Sirius…looks like we have a Raven on our hands." Sirius shook his head in disbelief, wondering how to fix this.

Lily nodded with a smile then looked at Harry. "Don't forget to take your potions later. Severus brought them just for you."

Harry nodded, "yes, mother."

They started to open the gifts then and from the Potters Aries got a big box of different wizard candy along with some muggle candy as well. From Remus, he got a book, and when he opened it, saw that it was rare book on potions. He looked up, "how did you know that I wanted this?" Remus just gave him a smile. From the Snapes, he was given another book on potions, this was even more surprising because of the fact that it had been written by none other then the man himself.

Aries glanced over at Harry to see that he was already engrossed in his book, eyes glistening with unshed tears, and Aries was grateful that he had gotten the present for Harry.

He turned his eyes back towards the tree to see what Sirius and Marlene had given him, not surprised when he found a long rectangle, that he knew would be a broom. Sure enough, when he opened it, a new nimbus was gleaming in his hands.

Alexander noticed, "Cool, you got a new broom too? Now we can go flying." Aries looked to see that Alexander was decked out in all new quidditch equipment. He snorted, James was trying so hard to make sure that his children were good quidditch players.

Aries continued to open his gifts, and saw that he had been given more advanced books on runes, and a potions kit as well. All in all he had gotten a good haul and was pleased with his gifts. It was then that he noticed a small parcel with his name on it. Curious he picked it up and slowly opened it, confused when all he saw inside was a vile of some sort of potion.

Looking up his eyes met Sirius and Marlene, "what's this potion for?" They glanced at each other before Marlene spoke up. "Well, your already Sirius's son by blood…and we talked it over," she paused and looked him in the eye. "We were wondering if you wanted to well…become my son as well?"

Aries was confused and probably looked it, because Sirius spoke up. "We wanted to give you the gift of becoming part of the family…the whole family."

Aries didn't speak as he was sort of choked up, they meant to make him their full blooded child, so that he would be full siblings and not considered a half-sibling. Sirius and Marlene were apprehensive as they waited to see what Aries would say, and it took Aries a moment before he wiped his eyes. He ran over to both of them, pulled them into a big hug, "Nothing would make me happier…dad and mum." Sirius pulled him into a hug as Marlene's arms came and wrapped around him. They were joined by Regulus and Elara, and Aries felt like the most loved boy on the planet.

He looked up, and in an excited voice asked, "can we do it now?"

Sirius glanced down at his eldest, "are you sure you don't want to wait?"

Aries shook his head, "I'd rather get it over with, so that way I can belong to both of you faster."

This caused everyone to chuckle and since only Marlene needed to put blood in the potion, she took the bottle and placed a few drops in. It sizzled and turned a golden color, and she offered it to Aries. He took it and gulped it down with a grimace. His body tingled as it changed and soon it was over.

He looked at both his parents, "well how do I look?"

Marlene conjured a mirror for him and he glanced at himself, basically he looked the same except that instead of Sirius's eye's he seemed to have gotten Marlene's golden green. It seemed he was doomed to always have green eyes no matter what reality he was in.

After that it was time for a late breakfast so they went into the dining hall and Aries made sure he was seated by Harry. After breakfast was over he really was itching to try out his new broom and so was Alexander, so he turned to Harry, "do you want to come with us?" He asked Harry quietly. Harry bit his lip and while the idea did sound like fun, he knew that Alexander wouldn't like it so he shook his head. Aries frowned but didn't push the issue, "well then when we're done, I'll come find you in the library." Harry nodded, took the potions his mother offered him, then made his way up the stairs.

Aries and Alexander went outside with the rest of the children and with the men. James and Sirius decided to have a little fun and soon they had a little game of quidditch going, the Blacks vs. the Potters, with the Blacks coming out the winner.

Coming inside, Aries made his way up to the library and found Harry reading, found a book to read and promptly joined Harry on the couch.

All in all it had been a great Christmas for both boys.

* * *

 **Ok...new story based off Death's Heir.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Here is the next chapter...and yes, I did get the idea from a story on FF but mine is totally different as you will see. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Regulus Sirius Black!"

Aries cringed as his mother yelled at his brother. He could hear Elara crying so Regulus must have played a prank on the poor girl. He set _Spells and Charms for a First Year,_ and went down to the kitchen. He couldn't help but laugh at what Regulus had pulled, her normally blond hair was puke green and stiff as a board.

Elara sniffed as her favorite brother laughed at her, "its not funny." She wailed to Marlene, "fix it mummy."

Marlene sighed, waved her wand and Elara's hair turned back to its normal state. She turned her gaze on Regulus, "that was uncalled for, and as punishment you get to spend the rest of the week with me." Regulus groaned. Granted spending the week with one's parents wasn't all that bad but as a punishment Marlene took you to work at her potions lab and had you doing all kinds of labor, it got very tedious and boring not to mention gross.

Regulus rolled his eyes, "ahh, come on mum…can't I go to dad?"

Marlene shook her head, "of course not, that's not a punishment, that's a reward."

That was an understatement. Sirius was known to not be very serious with his children. The man could hardly punish them for an hour before he gave up. It didn't help that all his children had perfected the puppy dog look, only it didn't work on their mother.

She crossed her arms and glared at Regulus who tried not to cry, he mopely moved to the door and stood next to his mother. Marlene smiled at Aries and Elara, "have fun today." With that said she grabbed Regulus's hand and they left through the front door.

Sirius came down a moment later, "what was all that yelling I heard." Elara ran to Sirius, who picked her up spinning her around. He settled her on his hip, and she pouted as she recalled what happened. "Reggie played a mean trick on me daddy."

Sirius tried not to laugh, at least one son was going down the right path. "So what was his punishment?"

Aries grimaced, "he has to help out with mum all week at work."

Sirius winced, "ouch…we all know how that gets." He set Elara down, "are you ready to go to the Potter's?"

She nodded. The men had tickets to a quidditch game, the Vrasta Vugles vs. the Hollihead Harpies and were making a day out of it with the boys. Elara of course would be going to the Potter's along with Jude and Jamie.

Aries pondered, it wasn't that Aries hated quidditch because he didn't but this was a great time to spend time with Harry Potter. "Dad…do you mind if I go to the Potter's with Elara?"

Sirius looked down at that, "you don't want to spend time with me?"

Aries shook his head, "no, but I wanted to ask Aunt Lily some questions and it seems like the perfect time plus I went with you guys last time, so…" he trailed off and looked at his dad with a hopeful expression.

Sirius sighed. His son was turning into a bookworm. "Can't argue with that," he closed his eyes and nodded. Aries sensed what his dad was thinking and hugged him round the legs, "don't worry dad…I'll still follow in your footsteps."

Sirius snorted. Maybe he should warn Minnie, but then again maybe not.

He held out the pot of Floo powder, and Aries took a handful. Stepping into the grate, he threw the powder and called out, "Grodic's Hollow." He vanished in green flames tumbling out of the fireplace.

Alexander laughed, "even after all this time you still can't get flooing right."

Aries just glared at his friend, and got up from the floor brushing himself off as Sirius and Elara appeared from behind. James came at that moment, "where's Regulus?"

Sirius was about to answer but was cut off by Elara who crossed her arms, "he's in trouble." Lily laughed, knowing what that meant. Sirius set down Elara who ran off to find Jamie.

Aries turned to Lily and pulled on her sleeve, "Aunt Lily…I was wondering if I could stay here with you today?"

There were shouts of protest.

"What!"

"Why!"

Aries smirked, "not everything is about quidditch." James grunted, "how can you say that." Aries went on, "there are more things to life…like studying."

Both Sirius and James dramatically placed their hands on their hearts as if in pain while Alexander rolled his eyes and gave a slight cough that sounded like "girl." Lily only smiled and nodded, "that's fine." With a smile Aries ran off to the library, hoping that Harry would be there and sure enough…he was.

"Harry!"

Harry looked up from what he was reading and gave a big smile, "Aries." He got up and walked over, "I didn't think you would be here today, I thought for sure you would go to the quidditch game."

Aries shook his head, "life's not all about quidditch." He looked down at what Harry had been reading, "Did you like it?"

Harry nodded, which led to a lengthy discussion not just about runes but also about wards and how they can be used together.

"But blood wards are the strongest type of wards out there, their non breakable."

Aries shook his head, "blood wards can be broken. However it's been said that there is a way to make them…"

The door opened and reveled Lily Potter. She gave a soft, sad smile that was gone before Aries was really sure he had seen it. "Here you are, I came to see what you wanted for dinner?"

Aries shrugged and turned to Harry, "what do you want for dinner?"

Harry looked unsure but with a smile from his mother he answered, "can we have Italian?"

Lily gave a nod, "well then let's get going." Both boys smiled and followed Lily out to the kitchen. Lily went right ahead and started cooking, "call the girls down." Harry nodded, and went to call the girls while Aries set the table and soon Elara, and Jamie came down. They sat down at the table after that soon Lily had prepared a meal of penne pasta with mariana sauce, garlic bread and salads on the side.

As she sat down she turned to Aries, "are you excited for the party this weekend?" Aries nodded, and from the corner of his eye saw Harry get slightly down at this. "I was wondering…can Harry come to the party?"

Harry's eyes grew bright as he looked at his mother, who pursed her lips. She finally relented, "very well, but only for a short time." Aries and Harry both smiled and they couldn't wait for the weekend. After dinner the boys retreated back to the library while Lily shook her head over this friendship.

"Mum…why won't Aries play with us?" Whined Jamie.

Lily looked at her daughter and sighed. "Jamie…Aries just takes his studies very seriously."

Jamie frowned and crossed her arms. Elara pulled her arm down, "come on, let's play dollies."

Lily frowned. She would have to watch over this development. She didn't want anyone to get hurt in the future.

* * *

The weekend soon came and found Aries at Longbottom Manor. It was his first time here since meeting the Longbottom's that night in the hospital. It seemed that the Longbottom's and the Potter's were having a joint party for the boys, Neville and Alexander which confused Aries because if anyone asked it was also Harry Potter's birthday as well.

Aries flooed over with his family, who all dispersed on arrival. He looked around and saw Alexander with Neville over with a bunch of children all around the same age. He frowned as he didn't see Harry, but then felt someone come up behind him. He turned and saw just who he was looking for.

"Hey Harry." He handed over his present. Harry carefully took it in his hands. Aries could see that Harry didn't expect a gift. "What is it?" Harry asked eagerly.

Aries smiled, "open it and find out." Harry opened it slowly, to find a small black box that when he opened it found a practice snitch. His eyes lit up and gave Aries a big hug and a thank you. Aries patted him on the back and grabbed his hand, "lets go mingle."

Aries made his way over to the Weasley family, who seemed to have just arrived. "Hello Mr. Weasley."

Authur Weasley smiled at the boy. Aries had been the talk of the ministry when he had showed up and it was clear that months in the proper care had done wonders for the child. He seemed healthier, and happier then when Frank had found him on the streets.

"Why hello Aries." Arthur turned and motioned his wife over. "Aries, this is my wife Molly." Aries gave Mrs. Weasley a smile, "how do you do?"

Molly smiled, Arthur had told her about the young boy and she was pleased to see him healthy. She gestured to Harry, "and who do we have here?"

Aries pulled Harry forward, "this is my friend Harry Potter."

At those words, she pursed her lips and dragged her family away. Harry turned to Aries with tears in his eyes. Aries just didn't understand why people thought wrong about Harry Potter. Aries patted him on the back, "don't worry Harry. I'll always be your friend." He looked around and spotted a young girl over by herself. "Come on…lets go meet that girl."

She had her arms crossed as if this was the last place she wanted to be. She had pretty blonde hair that fell in ringlets down her back, and blue eyes that sparkled like jewels. She watched them as they made their way over.

"Hello, my name is Aries Black and this is my friend Harry Potter." Aries gave a slight bow. Harry tried to do the same but somehow it didn't work out as well as Aries had, however it caused the girl to giggle.

"My name is Daphne Greengrass." Aries blinked. He recognized the name from his old world. A Slytherin. How had he missed this beauty in his last life? Really, he must have been blind. They were soon joined by a caramel skinned dark haired boy with aquamarine eyes, "this is my friend Blaise Zabini."

She turned to him, "why did you come back over here?"

Blaise snorted, "the boy-who-lived is telling his story, and I couldn't take anymore."

Both Aries and Harry turned to glance at Alexander, and sure enough they could tell that he was telling a story that had everyone engrossed. Aries had to bite back a groan, and turned back to Daphne and Blaise. The four started a discussion and Aries found out that both Daphne and Blaise had an interest in runes and wards, leading into another intense argument.

It only stopped when Lily Potter came to get Harry. "Come on Harry, it's time to go." Harry looked at the ground, and nodded. He turned to Daphne and Blaise, "it was nice to meet you." It was at that moment that James came over as well and noticed the package in his son's hand. "What's that in your hand, Harry?"

Harry didn't look like he knew how to respond, so Aries decided to help him out. "Harry wants to be a seeker, so it's a practice snitch."

James frowned. "Seeker…but that's…" He was cut off by his wife who was giving him the evil glare. He blushed, "well nevermind…it's a very important position. Go on with your mother, and we'll finish celebrating when we get home."

Harry nodded and soon both Lily and Harry had left. Aries kept on visiting with Daphne and Blaise who introduced him to more children his age. There was Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot, the Patil twins, Lavender Brown, Seamus Finnigen, Theodore Nott, and Lisa Turpin.

It was around his bedtime later that night that he pulled his dad by the arm. "Can I ask you a question dad?"

Sensing the need to be serious (no pun intended) Sirius came over and sat on his son's bedside. "What is it?"

Aries rolled over and looked his dad right in the eyes, "what's wrong with Harry Potter? How come no one likes him? How come he's treated like he has some disease?"

Sirius grew still, "no one likes what's happening to Harry Potter, but there's nothing we can do about it…" he paused, "however, I'm glad that you seem disregard what people tell you and that you've made friends…but you should be careful."

Aries frowned, Sirius kissed him on the forehead and Aries could only guess that this all happened because of what went on that night. He would have to be careful and figure out just what exactly.

* * *

It was during a game of hide and seek that Aries was brought back to reality. He was hiding in an old room, covered in dust and grime when he felt a pull. His eyes glanced over at the old wardrobe and widened when his brain caught up with this news.

His breathing started to get quicker as he moved closer to the old thing and he carefully pulled the glass doors open. His eyes drifted over the knick knacks until they landed on what he was looking for.

A silver locket with a snake engraved on it and the letter S.

He bit his lip and wondered what to do. He was 10 and not a full fledged wizard for all that he knew. This was a dangerous magical artifact to even a full grown wizard. He was still wondering what to do when the answer came to him, "kretcher!"

The old house elf popped into existence with a bow. "What can Kretcher do for the young master?"

Aries narrowed his eyes. "Uncle Regulas gave you something…where did you put it?"

Kretcher's eyes bugged at the mention of Regulas's name. "How does young master know this?"

Aries glared at the old elf, "what I know isn't important. What's important is if you did what Uncle Regulas asked?"

Kretcher started to bang his head against the wall, "Kretcher is a bad elf. He has failed master Regulas…"

Aries closed his eyes. He needed to stop this before anyone came. "Shh…Kretcher. What if I told you I know how to destroy it?"

This stopped the old elf, who looked at Aries in disbelief. "You…"

Aries held up a finger to his lips, "all I need you to do is hold on to the locket for me and don't give to anyone until I ask for it. If you do this then I will promise you a reward sent straight from Uncle Regulas himself."

Kretcher nodded. "As you wish young master."

Picking up the locket very carefully, Aries handed it to Kretcher who took it and popped out.

* * *

A year later, Aries opened his eyes on that July 31st, still not quite awake then fully came as he realized what day it was. It was the day that the Potter twins turned eleven which meant that today everyone would be going to Diagon Ally to get their school supplies. He hopped out of bed, and hurried to get ready. Taking a quick shower, he jumped out and pulled on jeans, a black t-shirt and pulled on a pair of converse.

While he brushed his teeth, he checked himself out in the mirror. He took a comb and styled his hair so that it laid to one side. The good thing about being Sirius's son was that his hair was a lot less messy.

He practically flew down the stairs and ran into the kitchen. He kissed his mom on the cheek, sat down and started wolfing down his breakfast.

Sirius looked over the newspaper and laughed. "Whoa there pup…what's the hurry?"

Aries swallowed his mouthful of food, "I get my wand today!"

Sirius smiled, "I wish I could be there but James and I both have to go into work today."

A worried look came over Marlene's face. "Be careful, Sirius." Sirius set the paper down, gave his children a kiss on the forehead, and a kiss on the cheek to Marlene. "I'll be back by dinner."

His family watched him go. Marlene sighed and saw that breakfast was finished. "Go finish getting ready, so that we can leave to meet Lily and the children." Regulus and Elara rushed off while Aries went at a more slow pace. Soon they were all gathered by the fireplace and Marlene held out the floo powder. "Now, I'll be going last so make sure you all wait for me." She gave a stern look at each child, making sure that it was engrained in their minds. "Aries…why don't you go first as the oldest and more responsible."

Aries stepped up, grabbed a handful of floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. "Diagon Ally!" He vanished and came out reminded how much he hated to travel by floo. Regulus came through next followed by Elara and finally Marlene.

"Aunt Marlene!" Came an excited voice over the crowd. It was Jamie, who was running towards them at a fast pace. "Aries!" She threw herself at him, hugging him hard around the middle. Elara glared at Jamie, and crossed her arms, clearly jealous. Aries didn't know whether to laugh or be mad…he just didn't understand girls.

"Jamie Lilian Potter!" Soon enough an irate Lily Potter, Alexander and Harry in tow, was striding up to her daughter. "What have I told you about running off without me?"

Jamie looked down at the ground. "Not to do it."

"That's right…there's no telling who might…"

"But mum, I wanted to see Aries." She cut in pouting, "I haven't seen him in so long."

Lily took a deep breath. "Still, you could have waited…I need you to understand the issue here."

Jamie nodded, "I understand."

Lily looked over at Marlene, "I hope you don't mind but Alexander asked to bring a friend along, so we also have Ron Weasley."

Aries glanced over at the red head and even though they had been friends back in his old life, there was something off about this Ron Weasley. He was whispering in Alexander's ear, who both gave laughs at what he had said, which made Aries think that something rude and derogatory had been said.

Marlene smiled, "that's fine." Turning to Aries, "are you sure you will be ok by yourself?"

Aries nodded, "yes mum…I promise only to buy what's on the list."

She looked like she didn't believe him, but he turned that charming smile on her and she gave in. "Very well…let's meet up at the Leaky Cauldron in three hours."

Aries nodded, grabbed Harry's hand after Harry asked his mother and they were off amidst yells of "I wanted to go with Aries," causing the boy to shake his head while Harry laughed at him.

Three years had gone by in a flash. Aries had quickly become best friends with Harry Potter and was over at the Potter's almost every day. Of course he was friends with the others, but Harry was special to him. They had also kept in contact with Daphne and Blaise, although Aries had been reluctant at first because he wasn't sure how they would view Harry but they had all quickly become best friends.

He stopped running after a while and turned to his best friend, "where to first Mr. Potter?"

Harry grinned, "well Mr. Black, I would say robes as we just stopped in front of Madame Malkins."

Aries grinned, "cheeky."

Harry laughed and led the way into the store. Aries was amazed at the transformation of Harry Potter. He'd come a long way from the shy kid Aries had met and was confident in his self. Granted, they still had a long way to go but with the friendship of Aries, Daphne and Blaise, Harry had grown and would continue as he met more people at Hogwarts.

The door rang as they walked in and Madame Malkin came from the back. "Here for Hogwarts, dears?"

They nodded and soon they were both standing on stools, with magical tape measures flying about. After a few minutes they were finished and on the way to the next stop. In the apothecary they each got a first year's potion kit, while Aries got a few extra supplies. They then got trunks, cauldrons, scales and other miscellaneous items.

It was finally time for the one thing they had wanted more then anything. They came to a stop at Ollivander's. Aries entered first, followed by Harry. Ollivander was nowhere to be seen so they stepped in a little wary. All of a sudden from out of nowhere a man appeared, "well, well, Mr. Black and Mr. Potter. I wondered when I'd be seeing you in here." Harry took a step back as Ollivander stared at them. "You'll be wanting your wands, I suppose." They nodded. "Whose first?" Aries looked at Harry, and stepped forward. "I'll go."

Ollivander clapped and made his way to the back of his store. He came back with a box, lifting it out held it out for Aries to try. "12 in. made of vine with a core of a dragon heartstring."

Aries took it carefully, waved it and there was a crash in the back. Ollivander shook his head mumbling, "nope not that one." He came back with another, which was quickly taken out of his hand and after trying hundreds of wands. Aries was beginning to think that he would be here forever. Ollivander looked at him carefully, "hmm…I wonder." He made his way to the back, coming forward. He handed Aries…"this was made by a ancestor of mine. 13 in, made of rowan…with the core of a threstal hair."

Silence met that comment. Aries didn't quite know the difference between wand woods and cores but the way that Ollivander was looking this was a weird combination. He swallowed but took the wand anyway, and felt a rush of warmth and knew that this was the wand for him.

"Interesting." He glanced at Aries, " I expect great things from you Mr. Black."

It was Harry's turn. He seemed to be getting the same treatment, going through wand after wand when Ollivander brought out a wand and Aries knew what it was. Harry took the wand in his hand, and a golden light came from the wand. "11in, holly with the core of a phoenix feather." He looked down at Harry, "curious, very curious."

Harry gulped, "what's curious?"

"I remember every wand I've ever sold…and it so happens that the phoenix who gave your tail feather, gave one other. It's curious that you should be destined for this wand…when it's brother gave you that scar."

Harry gulped, and looked down at his wand. "That will be seven gallons each."

They paid and made their way out of the store. Aries placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "It's only a wand…you shouldn't let that secret get you down." Harry looked up at his friend. "Yeah, your right…after all it all boils down to the owner." Aries nodded, "now lets go to Florish and Botts."

Aries led the way. They reached the store and it was crowded with students and parents. Aries and Harry made their way up the stairs, Aries tried to decide what he needed. He really didn't need any school books as he was going to use his parents old copies. Looking at the pickings he spotted something and wanted to inwardly slap himself. He hadn't even thought of this but it was probably a technique to learn. So Aries grabbed a copy of _Occlumency: How to Shield Your Brain_ by Travers Whyte. He ended up grabbing a few more books for extra reading and met up with Harry.

Harry had a handful of books himself, so they both laughed when they saw each other. "Let's go down and pay...I still want to get a pet." Aries exclaimed. Harry nodded his agreement and with their books bought, they walked over to the pet shop. Upon entering a white owl flew down and landed on Harry's shoulder.

"Well I'll be damned." The shopkeeper came out. "I've had that bird for years and she's never taken to anyone quite like she's taken to you." Harry grinned, as she gave him a nip on the ear. "I'll take her."

Aries himself found a nice black owl, paid for her and looked at his watch. "We've still got some time before we have to meet up back at the Caldron. I don't know about you but I could go for some ice cream." Harry nodded and they made their way over to Florean's. Harry sat outside with their packages while Aries went into order for them. He came back and saw that Daphne and Blaise had joined up as well. He set the ice cream in front of Harry, "if I had known you two would be here I would have gotten more." Daphne smirked. "No need," she took a spoon, "we'll just share," and started to eat out of Harry's. Blaise took a spoon as well and started to do the same with Aries. "That's what friends are for."

They sat and talked until Harry glanced at his watch. "We need to meet up with the family." They gathered their stuff, said goodbye to their friends and made their way to the Leaky Cauldron. Elara ran up to her brother, and put her arms around his waist. "I missed you so much…"

He hadn't even been gone a day. Aries patted her on the back. "What are you going to do when I leave for Hogwarts? You do realize that I'll be gone most of the year."

Elara looked stricken and clung to him harder. "Nooooo…you'll just have to wait."

Aries dragged himself and his sister over to the table and looked pleadingly at his mother. Marlene laughed and simply pulled her daughter away from her oldest. "Look Elara, Aries got an owl. That means he'll be able to write you." Aries nodded, "that's right…I'll tell you all about my adventures."

Alexander looked over from where he was sitting with Ron Weasley. "You got an owl too, Harry? Lily looked over at her oldest to see indeed a white owl in a cage. Harry nodded, "I've decided to name her Hedwig." Alexander shrugged his shoulders and returned to the conversation he was having with Ron. Harry put on a smile to mask the pain that his brother didn't seem to care. He was used to it. His mother saw it however, and seeing the look inwardly wished that they had treated Harry differently. Not even Jamie seemed interested. "Well I think it's a pretty name Harry…and I expect you to use that owl."

He blinked at his mother. "Really?"

She nodded, "I'd like to know what goes on, and I believe that I'm more likely to get a letter from you then your brother."

Regulus finally turned away from his conversation with his best friend Teddy, who had joined late, to his brother, "what kind of wand did you get Aries?"

Aries hesitated, before calmly speaking, "rowan and thestral hair."

There was a giant pause. Marlene and Lily didn't know much about wandlore but they knew enough that those were almost the polar opposites of one another. Aries was already considered a prodigy, this wand proved that Aries would be a powerful wizard in the future.

Alexander spoke up, "well that's cool. Mine is ash and unicorn tail hair. What's your's Harry?"

"Holly and phoenix feather." The boy said quietly.

Lily and Marlene were shocked again. Phoenix cores were very rare, and they weren't sure what that meant in the hands of Harry Potter.

* * *

 **Stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here it is! Enjoy!**

* * *

The rest of the summer went by in a flash it seemed like. Soon it was September 1 and he would be on his way to Hogwarts…again.

Aries had woken up at dawn and packed and repacked to make sure that he had everything that he would need. A nice surprise had been to find that somehow his invisibility cloak and the map had appeared in his trunk. Those would come in very handy, and he was sure that both in this time would be going to Alexander instead of Harry, so Aries would share.

Mid-morning, "Aries, you ready?" Sirius called from downstairs.

Aries grabbed his wand, shrinking his trunk, then bounded down the stairs. Everyone was waiting by the fireplace, Sirius looked behind Aries. "Where's your trunk?"

Aries shrugged and patted his pocket. "Shrunk."

Sirius was blown away, "you know how to shrink things, already?"

Aries nodded and looked sheepish, "I've been practicing with my wand. Is that ok?"

Marlene smacked Sirius on the head, "don't mind him…he's just jealous because it took him until 6th yr before he could even think about the shrinking charm."

"Hey now!" Sirius grumbled. "Not everyone can be bookworms like you and Lily."

Marlene laughed, and grabbed Elara's hand. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

Aries gave a cough as he tumbled out of the floo, amidst laughter that sounded like Regulus and Teddy. Remus was at work while Lily went to the platform, so he had dropped Teddy off to spend the night with Regulas. He got up and glared at his brother and best friend, who quickly looked away as if they were innocent.

Aries ran off to find a compartment, he un-shrinked his trunk setting it on the rack, then went back on the platform to find his family. When he returned he saw that the Potter's had arrived along with the Longbottom's. He smiled at Harry, who looked a little unsure of himself and Aries went to stand next to the boy.

"Hey Aries," came the soft reply from Harry.

Aries barely had time to reply when it seemed like all the little people threw themselves onto Aries. Elara grabbed his waist, Jamie his shoulders, and Jude had grabbed onto the other side of his waist, while Regulus and Teddy grabbed him from behind.

Harry had to step back as Aries stumbled under the weight. Laughing, he tried to console everyone, but it soon became a daunting task. The girls were crying and the boys weren't doing much better.

Sirius, Frank and James grabbed some while Marlene, Lily and Alice grabbed the rest. Juliet Snape it seemed, worked at Hogwarts as well and Jude had wanted to see everyone off, so had come with the Potter's.

Alexander, Neville and Harry had said their goodbyes and were waiting for Aries on the scarlet train, which had started to take off. Noticing that the train was leaving, Aries ran off and jumped on, to the shock of the women.

"Aries Orion!" His mother yelled.

He smiled, winked and gave his family a salute with a bow.

Frank was shaking his head, while James turned to Sirius. "Did you know you could do that?"

Sirius shook his head, "Why didn't we ever think of that?"

Lily and Marlene just rolled their eyes.

* * *

Back on the train, Alexander and Neville had run off to find Ron leaving the two behind, so Aries turned to Harry. "I've got a compartment down this way."

Harry followed him to the compartment, pushed his trunk up on the rack, pulled a book out and started reading. Aries shook his head, this was normal for Harry so he was used to it, Aries simply sat on the other side and laid his head on Harry's shoulder falling asleep.

An hour or so into their trip the door opened to revel Daphne and Blaise. Blaise smirked, "figures you guys would be at the very end." Harry gave a slight shrug not wanting to wake Aries. "What took you guys so long to find us?"

Daphne and Blaise sat on the other side and shared a glance. "We had to make nice with the insufferable Malfoy and his cronies."

Harry nodded in understanding.

Daphne crossed her arms and looked out the window. "What people see in him, I just don't get it…"

Blaise patted her on the shoulder, "there, there Daph…you know what Malfoy wants."

Daphne shivered with disgust. "Uh…I hope my parents won't be blinded by that rat."

At hearing Daphne talk about Malfoy, Harry got this strange feeling in his chest, not really sure what it was. He had always thought that the girl was pretty and he always seemed to lose his nerve around her. He would need to speak with Aries and see what he thought. Speaking of which, Aries needed to wake up and his shoulder was getting tired. He nudged Aries awake, who blinked in sleep confusion.

"Huhh…" his eyes widened. They landed on the two, "when did you guys get here?"

Daphne and Blaise laughed at their friend. Aries glared at them when the door opened again to revel Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot and a bushy brown haired girl. Susan smiled as she saw who was in this compartment, "hey guys!" She and Hannah went to sit down next to Daphne when she suddenly remembered. She pointed to the girl, "this is Hermione Granger. We met on the train."

Hermione gave a shy smile and Aries scooted over so that she could sit down. He introduced everyone, "my name is Aries Black," pointing to Harry, "this charming fellow is Harry Potter."

Her eyes grew wide. "Any relation to Alexander Potter?"

Harry sighed, "my brother."

Hermione grew pensive, "I didn't know he had a brother."

Harry snapped his book closed, "well yes, nobody knows because nobody cares to find out."

Hermione drew back a little at his anger. Aries patted her on the shoulder while glaring at Harry, "sorry about that…it's kind of a sore subject. If you're hear to fawn over Alexander then I would suggest you leave, because that's not what we're about."

Hermione looked down at the ground, "you're right. I'm sorry…it's just…"

Aries gave a small smile, "it's fine…just forget about it. Harry is his own person and I for one can say that I think he's way cooler then Alexander…but don't go repeating that." He winked and she relaxed. "Anyway, over there we have Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini and you already know Susan and Hannah."

Hermione smiled and saw the book that Harry had been reading. "Ohh…are you reading a book on Arthimancy ?"

Harry nodded, surprised that she had known. "Are you interested in the subject?"

She gave a nod of her own and soon the two were locked in a heated debate over figures and such that Aries could never wrap his head around.

Blaise shook his head, "Ravenclaws…we're looking at a bunch of Ravens."

Harry turned to Blaise, "and what's wrong with being in Ravenclaw?"

Blaise smirked, "nothing…if you like the studious sort."

Hermione looked confused so Aries went on to explain. "Ravenclaw is one of the four houses. Ravenclaw for the intelligent, Hufflepuff for the loyal, Gryffindor for the brave and Slytherin for the cunning."

Aries looked up out the window, "however your house doesn't define you…it's how you choose to act." He turned back to smile at the group, "plus no matter what house we might be in, we'll always be friends."

He looked at everyone, and saw that they were all nodding in agreement. They passed the rest of the train ride with Harry and Hermione again getting into a heated debate, this time on transfiguration and were joined by Hannah. Daphne and Susan began to talk about what was going on in the wizarding world, while Aries and Blaise started a game of exploding snap. Soon an announcement came saying that they would be arriving in 5 minutes and to please get changed.

The girls went to the restrooms and the boys changed in the compartment and just when the girls came back they had pulled up at the station. Aries exited onto the platform, and spied a giant man swinging a lantern back and forth.

Rebus Hagrid yelled over the students, "F'rt Years…F'rst Years. Over here."

Aries walked over with his group, spying Alexander with Ron and Neville and a few other first years. Harry gritted his teeth at his brother, "he didn't even come look for you."

Aries shrugged, while he was still friendly with Alexander over the past three years the friendship had over all cooled off. The same with Neville as well. Hagrid led them down to the lake, "No more then four to a boat," where Aries and Harry got into a boat, followed by Daphne and Blaise. Susan, Hannah and Hermione got into a separate boat with Lisa Turpin.

They glided over the lake and soon Hogwarts came into view, and no matter what this view always gave Aries chills. There was just something about Hogwarts that gave off a sort of creepy vibe, but he knew on the inside, it was just a plain nice castle.

The boats came to a stop, and all the first years exited to wait over by the steps, where they were met by a stern faced McGonagall. "Thank you Hagrid. I'll take it from here."

She gave a nice long winded speech about the houses and the rules regarding points, then led them towards the great hall. Harry tapped him on the shoulder, "hey, I overheard that Alex got into a fight with your cousin."

Draco Malfoy. Sometimes he forgot that they were related. Aries snorted. "Serves him right."

The doors opened, and the first years had their first glimpse of the great hall. Aries smiled to himself as he looked up at the enchanted ceiling. They came to a stop, and Professor McGonagall brought out a stool and an old hat. "When I call your name, please step forward." Aries heard Ron whisper to Alex and Neville, "all we've got to do is try on a hat. Curse Fred and George, they said we would have to wrestle a troll."

Aries and Harry both snorted at that, really how thick could you be to believe that lie. Aries scanned the hall while the hat sang it's song trying to pick out people he had known in his old time. He smiled to himself when he spotted a head of pink hair at the Hufflepuff table. Moving down his eyes landed on a head of dark hair. If everything went according to plan the Cedric Diggory wouldn't have to die this time.

"Abbot, Hannah."

He was snapped back to attention as McGongall started calling names. Hannah walked up to the stool slowly, placed it on her head and not a minute had gone by when it yelled, "HUFFLEPUFF!" She ripped the hat off and quickly ran to sit down at the yellow table.

"Black, Aries."

Aries walked up to the stool, sat down and placed the hat on his head. He gave a small jump at the voice, " _hmmm. Well this is interesting. The Master of Death! That_ _'_ _s something new_ _…_ _and I see_ _…I'_ _ve sorted you before_ _…_ _Gryffindor. Where to put you though_ _…_ _you still have plenty of courage, more cunning then Slytherin himself, loyal just like those valued in Hufflepuff and of course you are more then intelligent for Ravenclaw._ _"_ Aries was getting annoyed, 'just put me in Ravenclaw." " _Hmm…_ _if that_ _'s what you want…_ RAVENCLAW!" Just before Aries ripped the hat off it spoke one last time, " _come back and see me sometime._ _"_

Not aware that his sorting had gone for at least 5 minutes, Aries calmly walked over to the Ravenclaw table and waited for the rest so that the feast could begin. Susan Bones went to Hufflepuff, and Aries was joined by a blond, green eyed boy, named Terry. He glanced at the head table, and saw of course Professor Snape, who gave him the barest of nods. Glancing down he saw Dumbledore looking at him in a questioning manner. Aries looked away, promising to make sure that he and his friends had the strongest mind shields possible. Coming back to the sorting, he found he had missed Hermione's and Daphne's going to Gryffindor and Slytherin respectively. Neville it seemed had also gone to Gryffindor.

Malfoy to no surprise also went to Slytherin and Aries had to keep himself from growling when he saw Malfoy sit next to Daphne and whisper in her ear.

"Potter, Alexander."

Alexander strode up to the stool, everyone trying to get a glimpse and his sorting was almost as short as Malfoy's.

"Gryffindor." The Gryffindor table in question went mad, clapping and making as much noise as they could.

"Potter, Harry."

Harry took one glance at Aries before he made his way up to the stool, trying to ignore what everyone else was saying.

"Potter…I thought there was only one."

"I didn't know he had a brother."

"Do you think he can introduce us."

" _Another Potter_ _…_ _hmmm_ _…_ _what fits you best?_ _"_ Harry's only thought was to be with Aries. " _so you want to stay with your friend. Well you are intelligent_ _…_ _yes maybe that_ _'_ _s for the best_ _…_ _you have a bright soul, never forget that._ _"_ "RAVENCLAW."

Harry jumped off and ran to the Ravenclaw table with a smile. He slid next to Aries who grinned as well, there were only a few left to be sorted. Dean Thomas went to Gryffindor along with Ron Weasley, while Blaise went to Slytherin.

McGonagall cleared away the stool and hat, while Dumbledore got up to speak a few words. "Greetings to another school year. I won't keep you from this lovely feast so…tuck in!"

Food appeared instantly and Aries went for all his favorites, spooning things onto Harry's as well. Harry did the same thing and soon they had filled both their plates and were ready to eat. Terry Boot shook his head, "you act like your brothers."

Aries was chewing his food, but Harry swallowed, "just best friends." Aries nodded in agreement.

They filled their bellies and soon they were following the prefect up the stairs to the Ravenclaw tower. They came to a stop at a statue of an eagle, the prefect started speaking, "My name is Penelope Clearwater and I am one of your prefects…we don't have a password to get into our common room, if you want to enter, you have to answer a riddle." She turned, and waited, "what gets broken without being held?"

Penelope looked around for a volunteer. Aries thought on it before he tried his luck…"a promise."

"Very good," the eagle replied and opened to revel the Ravenclaw common room. They stepped in and the door shut behind them. Another older student was waiting for them, "My name is Marcus White and I'm the other prefect." He gestured to Penelope, "if you have any questions or concerns then feel free to ask either me or Penelope. Now, up the stairs you'll find the dorms. First years are on the first floor and it goes on." He clapped his hands dispersing everyone to their own.

Aries went up the stairs and found a plaque on the door that was for the first year boys. He was in a room with Harry, Terry Boot, Michael Corner, and Anthony Goldstein. He opened the door and quickly found his bed and soon was fast asleep.

* * *

Aries groaned as Harry woke him the next morning. Rolling over he smashed his face back into his pillow. "Go away."

Harry gave out a laugh, "fine…but don't complain to me because you missed breakfast."

Aries groaned but got up anyway. Harry laughed again, "I'll wait for you in the common room."

Aries grumbled, and made his way to the bathroom to get ready. He came down the stairs to see Harry sitting together on a couch. Harry smirked at Aries, who was clearly not a morning person. He grumbled, "shut up Harry!"

Harry's smirk only grew bigger so Aries got up and left for the great hall, and took seats at the table. As soon as they sat down Professor Flitwick came over and handed them their schedules. Aries took a glance, he had a full schedule, but it didn't seem to hard. Their first class of the day was Transfiguration with the Slytherins, so after breakfast the two boys made their way to the transfiguration classroom.

Aries went to take a seat towards the middle with Harry taking the seat next to him. A thump came next to Aries who turned and saw that Blaise had taken his other side. "Hey Blaise."

Blasie just grunted. It seemed that he too was not a morning person. Daphne had decided to take a seat next to a dark haired girl from Slytherin.

Harry and Aries both laughed. Professor McGonagall showed up just then, effectively starting the class. She peered over the class, and stopping for a second to long on Aries before moving on, she began to speak.

"Today we will start with the basics of the art of transfiguration. Once we have gone over the basics, I will hand out matches that you will transfigure into a needle."

She went over the basics, and since Aries already knew this, he started taking notes on what he needed to get done regarding Voldemort. He of course had the locket, and he was thinking that the next thing he should do was make a visit to the old snake in the chamber. He was writing furiously when he noticed that most everyone had gone quiet. He looked up to see McGonagall standing in front of him, looking down with a slightly disapproving look.

"Professor?" Aries asked.

"Mr. Black…I know you might know the basics but at least pretend to be interested in what I have to say."

She turned around, Aries blushed while Harry and Blaise laughed behind their hands. She came around, and handed out matches to the students. Once every one had a match, they got down to actually trying to transfigure. Aries contemplated on what course of action he should do. Should he tone down what he could do or should he just show everyone his level. He sighed, no since in acting stupid…he would just have to hope that it went unnoticed.

Aries sighed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Blaise struggling a little, and Harry seemed to be fine. He waved his wand, producing a perfect silver needle. He waved his wand again, and it went back to a match. Aries gave another wave and the needle was back. He placed it aside and went back to his notes on Voldemort. Right now the only Horacurx that he had was the locket that Kretcher was keeping hidden away from him but it all boiled down to how to get rid of them.

"Black!" Aries looked up at his name. That came out so easily, it was plain to see that McGonagall had experience yelling it out. Aries smirked. He decided to take a leaf out of his dad's book, "yes, Minnie?"

McGongall's lips twitched at the name. Aries wasn't sure what she was going to do but all she did was come to stand before him, giving him a sharp glance. "Why aren't you practicing?"

Aries showed her his needle and just to show off, he switched it back to a match and back to a needle.

Her eyebrows almost rose into her hair, "very impressive Mr. Black. 10 points to Ravenclaw, not many first years are able to get this on their first try."

"Showoff," Harry muttered.

She turned her gaze onto Harry, "what about you Mr. Potter."

Harry froze but was able to perform the spell perfectly. "Impressive as well Mr. Potter, 5 points to Ravenclaw."

The class went on, and by the end of class only Daphne, and Blaise had been able to get even a small change. Daphne was fuming, she had been close but her's still had a blunt end. Blaise had only been able to make his match silver.

Harry patted her on the shoulder, "don't worry Daph. You'll get there, all it takes is practice."

Blaise grinned, "I'm more interested in what Aries called McGonagall…what was the name…Minnie?"

Aries snorted. "It's a name my dad came up with. I thought I would try it out. I think it worked though…"

They made their way into the great hall for lunch. Aries glanced over at the Hufflepuff table and saw that Susan and Hannah were there and made his way over. He sat down on the other side, "do you mind if we join you for lunch today?"

Both girls shook their heads, Blaise shook his head as he went to sit next to Aries and was joined by Harry. "Are we even allowed to sit at other tables?"

Daphne snorted, "likes that's going to stop Aries." Harry nodded in agreement. Aries commented, "I figure we can eat at a different table every day." He looked to his friends, who nodded in agreement.

* * *

The next few weeks went on just like it had in that first class. Aries was a conundrum to his teachers. He spoke rarely in class but his work was almost perfect. Harry Potter wasn't far behind. They were quickly becoming two of the best students in their year.

One Friday Aries came down the stairs to see most of the first years crowded by a sign. He spotted Harry and went over to see what the fuss was about. Harry spoke up without even looking up from his book, "it's our first flying lesson."

Aries nodded, secretly pleased. That afternoon found all the first years down on the quidditch pitch standing next to the school's brooms. Aries noticed Alexander with his goonies, laughing at something funny. He frowned when Ron pointed to Hermione who was talking to Harry, and they laughed harder. Madame Hooch walked up and down the two rows, "welcome to your first flying lesson." She stopped at the front, "now, on the count of three, say up…1.2.3"

"Up!" The broom came right into Aries hand, as did Harry's and a few others. Hermione's just rolled on the ground, and Harry helped her out. "Think of it like a horse…they can sense fear." She nodded and took a deep breath, thinking on what Harry said, and soon her broom was in her hand.

Once they all had brooms in their hands, they waited patiently for Madame Hooch when all of a sudden Hermione's broom shot off. She screamed, and chaos happened. Madame Hooch tried to slow the broom down but she had to dodge as it shot up and down. Finally Hermione seemed to slam into a wall and fell to the ground where she laid in stillness.

Everyone ran to the fallen girl. Madame Hooch got there first, and checked her over. "Hmm...a slight concussion." She conjured a stretcher, and levitated Hermione on it. "While I take mrs. Granger to the hospital wing you will stay on the ground. If even one of you is in the air you will be expelled just as fast." She walked off with Hermione, and Harry turned as Alexander laughed out loud.

"Did you see that?" He was laughing so hard that he was leaning onto Neville and Ron. He bent down and picked something off the ground. "Hmm…lets play hide and seek with Granger."

It was her bracelet.

Aries and his friends frowned. Over the past few weeks Alexander and his friends were becoming worse then Malfoy, and that was saying something. Aries was about to step forward when Harry beat him to it.

"Give it back Alexander!"

Alexander looked over at his brother. He smirked. "Ohh…what's with the protective attitude? If I didn't say better I would say that you like her."

Harry clenched his fists at his sides, "what's wrong with wanting to help a friend?"

Alexander narrowed his eyes. He had heard the stories of his brother and Aries. It didn't make sense…he was supposed to be the chosen one, not them, they needed to be taken down a peg or two.

"No..." he grabbed his broom. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Granger to find it." He flew up, "how about a tree?"

Aries reached out to grab Harry's sleeve but was too late. Harry grabbed his own broom and went to meet his brother in the air. Alexander was surprised, he hadn't known that Harry could fly, but he shook it off.

"Give it back!"

Alexander frowned before getting an idea. "If you want it so bad, then go and get it!" He threw it with all his might. Harry saw it and zipped past his brother, his eyes on the glinting piece of medal. He urged the broom faster, and just when he was about to crash into the ground, flipped and caught the bracelet.

"Harry Potter!"

Aries winced. Professor McGonagall was striding towards them with a panicked expression on her face. "Never…in all my years…you could have been killed!"

Harry walked forward with his head down, and from where Aries could see, he was trying hard not to cry. Aries stepped forward, Professor…it wasn't…"

"Mr. Black…this is between me and Mr. Potter." "Follow me, Mr. Potter." Harry nodded and followed behind McGonagall. Aries turned to Alexander, "gods Alex…you can be such a prat sometimes." He stalked off, ignoring the calls behind him. He needed to cool some steam off so he made his way to the Room of Requirement.

Hours later, he emerged and made his way to the common room. Expecting Harry to be packing he wasn't expecting a grinning Harry to run towards him.

"Aries…I made the team!"

Aries sputtered, "what?"

Harry grinned, "well it looks like Ravenclaw needed a seeker…so I got the position." He bit his lip, "are you mad?" Both boys were avid seekers and Aries knew that Harry was worried that Aries would be upset that he had the position.

Aries shook his head, "nah…you were born to be a seeker. We'll play together next year."

Harry grinned, "well I'm off to write a letter."

Aries grinned, took a shower, worked on homework and then went to bed.

* * *

 **Stay Tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello Everyone! Enjoy!**

* * *

The next morning found Aries down in the great hall eating breakfast and awaiting for the mail. He nudged Harry in the stomach and pointed over at the Gryffindor table.

It was then that the owls swooped in bringing the daily mail. Both Harry and Aries watched as a brown owl that belonged to the Potter's glided to a stop in front of not Harry, but Alexander.

It was a rectangular package and could only be one thing.

As Alexander opened a very obvious brand new Nimbus 2000, Aries glanced over at Harry out of the corner of his eyes. Harry tried hard to hold back the tears, but was unsuccessful and ran out of the great hall, nearly crashing into Hermione, who was coming back from the hospital wing.

"Hey…Harry?" She asked confused.

Daphne and Blaise saw Harry leave, and looked over at the Gryffindor table. They both frowned and calmly got up and followed Harry out, followed by Susan and Hannah.

Hermione came over to Aries, "what happened?"

Aries simply ignored her and walked over to Alexander, with her following. "What's the new broom for, Alex?"

Alexander sneered at Aries, but it was Ron who answered. "Alex is the new Gryffindor seeker."

Aries clenched his fists. "Yeah…what did you do to earn that…buy yourself a place on the team? And what about Harry? Where's his new broom?"

Alexander narrowed his eyes at Aries, "say what you want Aries." He got up and came over to whisper in Aries ear, "everything my brother touches gets destroyed. Everyone knows it. Sooner or later you'll figure it out. I don't know what you see in him anyway…he's nothing but bad blood."

Aries couldn't take it anymore. He brought his fist back and punched Alex straight in the nose. Alex of course just hit back and soon both boys were rolling on the floor throwing punches and kicks left and right, ignoring the world around them.

"Potter!" "Black!"

They were finally pulled apart, and Aries turned to see Severus Snape. His mouth was in a very thin line and both Aries and Alex knew how angry he was so they wisely stopped.

"My office…NOW!"

He dragged both boys out and down to the dungeons, where upon arrival he threw them onto separate couches. A wave of his wand and both boys were placed in some kind of invisible barrier. There was a light from the fireplace and Juliet Snape stepped out, she helped out Promfrey in the hospital wing.

She took one glance at them and sighed, going over to Alex first. Aries took this time to see the damage done. Alex had two black eyes, a cut lip, and probably a few broken ribs.

He himself had a few broken ribs, and a black eye as well. She finished up with Alex and came over to fix Aries up. When they were both healed, they sat and glared at each other, when the fireplace lit up again. This time out stepped their fathers, both with grim looks on their faces.

James and Sirius went to stand in front of their sons and waited. When no information was forthcoming, James spoke up. "Would someone like to tell us what's going on?"

Alex pursed his lips, not wanting to meet James' eyes.

Sirius glanced at Aries, "Aries…"

Aries looked up at Sirius, and for some reason couldn't help the tears. Sirius sighed, and even though Aries was eleven grabbed him and set him in his lap, rubbing circles in his back.

Alex snorted and mumbled under his breath, "crybaby."

James hit him on the head, "Alexander Potter! I did not teach you to act this way."

"Ow!" He clutched his head, "it's all Aries fault, anyways."

Aries pushed away from his father, "don't tell lies, Alex…" he turned to James. "I simply went to ask Alex why he got a new broom and why Harry didn't."

James and Sirius were now both confused. "Why would Harry need a new broom? He didn't make the quiddtich team."

Aries shook his head, "I don't know what happened to the letter that he sent, but he did…Harry is the new Ravenclaw seeker."

Aries crossed him arms, he decided not to tell what Alex had really said. The truth would come out eventually and when it did, that would be Aries reward, so he lied.

He swallowed. "What's more…Alex called me a name that I didn't agree with, so I decided to fight with my fists."

James seemed to take this excuse but Sirius was more sharp and could tell that his son was lying. He glared at Aries but Aries didn't budge.

Sirius shared a glance with James, who nodded. "Well in any case, we've decided to give you over to Severus and Juliet." Both boys groaned, punishment with Severus meant cleaning nasty cauldrons and other gross potion necessities while Juliet would make you clean the hospital wing…both without magic.

It was also clear which punishment would go to which boy. As Aries liked potions, he would be with Juliet, while Alex who wanted to be a healer would be with Severus.

James shook his head, "none of that…your lucky we came instead of the mothers."

Sirius nodded. "We're letting you off easy to what they had."

Alexander and Aries both winced. Maybe this was an easier punishment.

A ruffle of the hair and both James and Sirius were gone. Both Alex and Aries looked over at Severus who had sat there quietly, "a week's worth of detention, starting tonight at 8 sharp, and 20 points from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor."

He shooed them out, and Alex glared at Aries who glared right back. "It's over Black," and with that he stalked away.

* * *

Aries walked back up to the Ravenclaw common room and as soon as he entered, he was bombarded with questions.

"What happened?"

"Why did you hit Alex Potter?"

"That should be considered treason."

Aries glanced around, looking for Harry. Padma caught on, "if your looking for Harry, I think he went to the library."

"Thanks Padma." He turned, right back around and went to the library.

He was indeed in the library, along with a few others. Aries walked up, and took the empty seat next to Harry. They all looked up, "what?" He got out his homework and started to work on it. Daphne and Blaise simply knew better then to ask, while Susan, Hannah and Hermione were just confused.

Harry turned a page in his book not even bothering to look up, "did it feel good?"

Aries blinked, then grinned as he knew what Harry meant. "Why yes, Mr. Potter…it did feel good." Harry smiled, and placed a bookmark in his book. "Thank you, Aries."

Aries just kept on doing his homework, but he knew that Harry knew that he had heard him. Aries finished his homework in record time as did Harry and Hermione.

Aries suddenly grinned just had he had a great thought, and it must have showed on his face.

"What's that look for Aries?" Susan asked.

Aries turned to his friends, "I was just thinking that maybe, now is a great time to pull off a prank."

Harry grinned evilly, "why Mr. Black…I like the way you think."

Blaise joined, "I assume Mr. Potter and Mr. Black that this will be directed at the gryffindorks."

Aries nodded, "Yes Mr. Zabini, although we will have to prank other tables, including ours so that we remain hidden."

Hermione rolled her eyes, and slammed her book shut. "Boys." She got her stuff together and made to leave. Daphne, Susan and Hannah followed her lead.

"Don't drink the pumpkin juice tomorrow then…" Aries called out.

So all three boys put their heads together, and came up with a plan. At 8, Aries got up, "well I'm off to do my time."

"I'll just leave the rest to you." Harry and Blaise nodded. Aries made his way to the hospital wing, and when he got there Pomfrey and Juliet immediately put him to work. They kept him there until at least 1 in the morning before he was let go.

He was making his way, when he heard voices around the bend. He jumped behind a statue of armor and waited. It was Alex, with Ron and Neville. Aries frowned…Alex must have finished his detention early to be out at this time. They seemed to be going somewhere so Aries followed them.

They came to a stop in an empty classroom, and waited for someone to come. Time passed and out in the hallway a meow came.

Alex hissed, "its filch's cat."

They ran out the door, and Aries didn't need to follow to know where they were going. Tonight they would make Fluffy's acquaintance so he just went back to his dorm.

He walked up the stairs and pushed the door open, going to the one bed with the closed drapes, he ripped them open and crawled into Harry's bed.

"Harry," he whispered.

Harry rolled over, "your bed's the one over there."

Aries rolled his eyes, "yeah, yeah…I just wanted to make sure you were ok. Remember, you have a lot of people who care for you now."

Harry nodded. "I know…it's just sometimes I wish…" He didn't have to finish before Aries had wrapped his best friend in a hug. They sat there until they fell asleep.

* * *

The sun was just rising when Harry nudged Aries awake. "Get up goofball…I cant believe you slept in my bed last night."

Aries gave a goofy smile, "but you love me anyway."

They got ready and Aries grabbed the cloak from his trunk. They went down the stairs and as soon as they had left the common room, Aries threw it over both their heads.

They met up with Blaise at the foot of the stairs coming up from the dungeons and he joined them under the cloak.

"Do you have the stuff?" Blaise nodded.

They made their way to the fruit bowl painting, Blaise was confused. "I thought we were going to the kitchen's?"

Harry and Aries both grinned, as Harry went and tickled the pear. A handle appeared, so Harry pulled it to reveal the kitchen's with the house elfs running about.

They stepped into the kitchen and immediately they were surrounded by house elves. "What can we's be getting you?"

Aries ripped off the cloak, and grabbed the vile from Blaise. "Can you put this in a few goblets on each table, this morning?"

The house-elf looked used to this and just nodded, "of course Master Black." He ran off, and soon all three boys were laden down with food and sitting at a table eating said food.

Blaise was impressed. "I didn't know it was so easy to get to the kitchens, and what's more that house-elf didn't even blink an eye when we asked him to help prank the school."

Aries grinned while Harry smirked. "That's because of our father's legacy."

Blaise didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

Harry pointed to himself then to Aries, "our father's were pranksters back in the day…you noticed that the elf knew who Aries was just by looking at him."

Blaise nodded, he had seen that so it had to be true. Aries looked at his watch, "well we should get going…don't want to miss the fireworks."

They made their way to the great hall and took a seat at the Ravenclaw table. They were soon joined by the girls. The food appeared, along with the juice and Hermione made to take a drink.

Harry stopped her just in time. "What?" Harry just shook his head, and held up a finger to his lips. Soon the great hall was alive with noise, some people started acting like animals. Whats more, they started to interact with the other infected people, almost like real animals.

Aries, and Harry tried not to laugh as they saw Alex acting like a monkey. Aries also got great enjoyment to see his cousin acting like a ferret.

As the prank wore on, the professors tried to find a way to stop it but they were proving unsuccessful. Dumbledore calmly took a sip of his juice, "reminds me of old times…eh Minerva."

Minerva McGonagall clicked her teeth together, this had Potter and Black written all over but without evidence there was no way to punish anyone. They would simply have to let it run it's course.

Run its course indeed…whoever had planned this prank, planned it in such a way that it lasted almost the entire day. It had the teachers running ragged, and the students not effected, found great joy.

Later that night, Aries and Harry were sitting in the common room working on homework. Aries closed his book as he just had a great thought, the perfect way to get some extra money and put his plan into action. It would have to wait until tonight.

* * *

That night Aries made sure that Harry and the others were asleep and wouldn't know that he had left. He grabbed the map and the cloak, and made his way to his destination.

Looking around and making sure that no one was around he made his way over to the sink. He squinted to see the snake by the tap, when he was interrupted by a cry.

"What's a boy doing in the girls toilet?"

Aries spun around to see Moaning Myrtle behind him. "None of your business." He waved her away, "now go away and don't bother me."

"Hmph! She didn't seem to be leaving, so Aries decided to ignore her. He walked over to the tap, and concentrating on the snake, " _open_."

The tap began moving and resifting around until a large gap was between the sinks. Aries took a deep breath and jumped down the shaft. He landed at the bottom, and grimaced at the skeletons he walked over.

Soon he came to the door, and spoke again, " _open_." The door swung open to revel the hidden chamber of secrets. Aries summoned a sword and a rooster, and made his way to the statue of Slytherin.

" _Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four_!"

Aries closed his eyes, waiting for the snake to drop. He heard the great body and was about to raise the rooster when he heard it speak.

" _Who_ _'_ _s there_?"

Aries was stunned…it spoke.

" _My name is Aries_."

" _A speaker_ _…_ _I haven_ _'_ _t seen a speaker in a very long time. My name is Godric._ _"_

Aries had to laugh.

" _You were named after Gryffindor?_ _"_

" _Yes_ _…_ _I was hatched when they were still great friends. I sense a rooster_ _…_ _have you come to kill me?_ _"_

Aries quickly got rid of the rooster.

" _well, I thought_ _…_ _you see, I_ _'_ _m not from this time and last time I battled a basalik, it tried to kill me._ _"_

Godric seemed outraged at this.

" _What! I am meant to protect this school, not harm students. How old were you?_ _"_

" _Twelve._ _"_

" _Impressive, young speaker. You may open your eyes for I have closed my inner eyelid._ _"_

Aries gathered his courage and opened his eyes. All in all Godric was rather pretty, it was a shame that Voldemort had made the other one go crazy. Aries was confused.

" _When was the last time you spoke with a speaker?_ _"_

" _Since Slytherin died._ _"_

Did that mean Voldemort had never found this chamber when he was at school? What about the diary? If Voldemort had never been here then how did Myrtle die? He filed that away for later thought.

" _I'_ _m curious_ _…_ _why did you come down here?_ _"_

Aries shrugged.

" _I needed some extra cash_ _…_ _I was planning on selling your venom._ _"_

" _Very well_ _…_ _I will allow you to milk my venom sacs if you will come visit me from time to time._ _"_

" _Of course!_ _"_ Aries got out several bottles and filled them to the brim and spent some time talking with Godric. The snake had told Aries of Slytherin's private library and he made a vow to come back and find it at a later date. It was only when he yawned that he bid the snake goodbye and made his way back to his bed. On his way he stopped by Severus' office and placed a bottle along with a note. Hopefully he wouldn't wonder to much about where it had come from.

He placed the rest carefully in the bottom of his trunk, making plans to visit Diagon Ally the next day.

Morning came too soon and with it the first quidditch game of the season…Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Even though Alex would be playing it didn't stop Harry from being excited for his first Hogwarts game. He bounded over to Aries' bed and pulled open the curtains and just decided to leave the lazy boy there. Of course that was before grinning evilly, " _Levicorpulous_ " he thought.

Aries gave a yell as he was pulled into the air by his feet. His yell awoke the other boys who laughed at his predicament.

He glared at Harry, "funny Mr. Potter…now let me down."

Harry was shaking with silent laughter. "No can do Mr. Black, " and went into the bathroom.

His other roommates couldn't hold their laughter in, and were rolling on the ground as Harry came out dressed and ready to go. He walked in a manner that suggested that he wasn't going to fix this soon, so Aries decided to play dirty.

He summoned his wand and Harry was hit with a tickling charm. What started was a great battle that had all five boys breathing deeply and laying on the floor.

After what seemed like hours, Harry got up, and brushed himself off. "Are you coming to the game?"

Aries shook his head, "I have something to do…if I finish in time, I might catch the end."

Harry bit his lip, "you do realize that the family is coming. They'll want to see you."

"Well they're going to have to wait…this is more important." Aries patted Harry on the shoulder, "beside the only Potter I want to see play is you."

Harry smiled, "fine…you win. I'll keep them distracted."

Aries threw his arms around Harry, "thank you…thank you." Harry shoved him off with a laugh, and left. Aries went to his bed and pulled the curtains closed, waiting for the other boys to finally leave.

He got dressed, then made his way outside, making sure that no one saw him, and once outside the gates, he apperated to Diagon Ally.

Once there he hopped into a dark corner, and glamoured himself, into that of a young man of 21 years old with blonde hair and blue eyes. He double checked to make sure that the viles of venom were still safe in his bag and made his way to the apothecary.

He opened the door, and a voice from the back rang out, "hello, there." The owner of the apothecary came in from the back, "what can I do for you young fellow?"

Aries came forward and set his bag on the counter, "can you keep a secret?"

The man narrowed his eyes, "depends…what kind of secret?"

Aries gave a sly smile, "in this bag I have something that would be of great importance to you."

The man eyed the bag, somewhat warily.

Aries went on…"what I have…is basalik venom."

The man's eyes bugged out so much as Aries gave him a glimpse of the viles, and he wished he had a camera. "Where did you get those?" The man demaned.

Aries smirked and closed the bag. "That's my secret. If you don't tell anyone where you got these then I'll sell them to you. If you can't agree then I'll go elsewhere."

The owner looked at the bag with a greedy eye and Aries knew he was sold. They hashed out a price, and Aries left the shop, went to Gringotts to open a new account, deposited the money and left with more money then he knew what to do with.

His last stop before going back to Hogwarts was to stop at Qudditch Quality Supplies to pick up a new broom, that would be delivered the next morning.

When he arrived back at the school he made his way over to the quidditch pitch to see if the game was still going on. It must have just ended, because the Gryffindor team was rushing to the ground. They must have won.

He decided against running through the crowd to find his friends, so started heading back towards the castle.

He didn't get very far when his name was shouted, "Aries!"

He glanced to see Jamie running as fast as she could towards him, Elara not far behind.

"Why weren't you at the game? It wasn't as fun without you."

Aries shrugged, "I had things to do." She pouted, but seemed to accept his answer because she started going off about the details of the game. Elara came over and gave him a big hug and a smile. "Big Brother!"

He patted her on the head, and soon the family had caught up with them, exchanging the usual pleasantries. Harry must have noticed because he drew away from their friends and came over to join.

Aries gave him a smile, but saw the looks come over Jamie's and Elara's. It had been a sore subject of being friends with Harry, and they weren't happy.

"Hey Harry!" Aries gave a wave.

"Aries." As he stopped, Alexander started walking over to his family, and pretty much the group migrated over to Alexander, leaving just Aries, Harry and Lily.

Harry just sighed, he was used to it. Lily ignored the guilt building up as she glanced at her son. They were doing it to protect Harry but sometimes she thought it was more damaging then protecting.

"Minvera says your doing well in your classes." Lily tried to keep the conversation light.

Harry just nodded, not meeting his mother's eyes. Lily sighed, "well…keep up the good work." She said goodbye to Aries and went to join the others.

Harry looked at his family, and clenched his fists before stalking away angrily. Aries shook his head, why couldn't they see the goodness that Harry had. Before following Harry back to the castle he went over to say his goodbyes.

He knew that Harry would need time by himself so he decided to find Blaise. He found said boy in the great hall and he made a beeline to his friend.

Blaise looked up as Aries approached. "Aries." Aries simply sat by his friend and placed his head on his shoulder. "Hard day?"

Aries closed his eyes trying to ward off the coming headache. Blaise knew of Harry's troubles within his family, so he figured it had to something with that. "Harry knows that you care, and that he has friends."

Aries opened his eyes, "yeah, I know. I just wish that I could make them see how great a person he is."

Blaise just shook his head, "in the end…it's their loss. Harry will have moved on."

They sat there for a few more minutes talking quietly before Aries had to leave for detention.

* * *

 **More to come!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! Enjoy!**

* * *

Soon it was Halloween and a sense of excitement rang through the air. Ever since he had discovered Godric, he had made a few trips to visit the snake. Aries was still giddy with all the books he had gotten from Slytherin's private library. They had struck up a nice friendship and Aries was always amused at the stories the snake would tell.

Something had changed though after his fight with Alex who now seemed to think that they were no longer friends. Aries could deal with the cold shoulder but it was the little things, like spreading rumors that was really getting on his nerves.

He thought about going to talk to Severus or Juliet but decided against it, this was his battle that he needed to fight himself.

It was getting so bad that even Harry had noticed. However, he knew not to ask Aries and kept his thoughts silent. Aries was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't realize what day it was until they were in charms. They were going over the hovering charm and to Hermione's dismay she was paired up with Ron.

Aries was paired up with Terry and of course got the charm on his first try. Harry and his partner weren't far behind. Alex was with Neville and when he waved his wand a little to hard it blew up in his face.

Ron waved his wand, " _wingardium leviosa_." Nothing happened. He tried it again and still nothing happened.

"Your saying it wrong. Make the "ar" nice and long, " said Hermione. "Well then you do it, " Ron spat out.

Hermione simply waved her wand, and the feather rose in the air. "Ohh…very nice Mrs. Granger. 5 points to Gryffindor," clapped Professor Flitwick.

Needless to say Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of class. He stuffed his books in his bag. "She's such a know it all. I mean, no one in our house likes her. I don't know how her friends can stand her…I bet their just using her for her knowledge."

Harry saw Hermione run past him with tears in her eyes. He rushed past the trio, "your such a prat Ron," before running after her.

Aries stepped behind them, "if you actually used your brain, you would see that she was just trying to help."

"shod off, Black," glared Alex. "We don't care for what you have to say."

Aries frowned but simply shrugged, "fine…be that way."

A few hours later found Aries sitting at the Slytherin table eating dinner. "Where are Harry and Hermione?" asked Susan.

It was Daphne who answered. "Ron said something mean in charms, so she's been crying all day. Harry is being a friend."

Susan and Hannah glared furiously at the Gryffindor table. "Those three are such prats."

Daphne agreed, "they're almost as bad as Malfoy."

At that moment Professor Quirrel came running in the great hall screaming. "Troll! Troll in the Dungeons," after which he promptly fainted.

Panic ensued. Dumbledore spoke up, "Everyone, go to your common rooms and stay there until otherwise noted."

There was a mad rush for the doors, and in the chaos Aries saw the trio slip away. He knew what was going to happen so he followed them to the bathroom. When he got there he mentally rolled his eyes. Neville was already passed out on the floor, with Ron and Alex not to far behind.

Aries waited until both boys were passed out on the ground. He shot off two spells directly at the troll, who fell down to the ground, dead. Satisfied on a job well done before the teachers came he hiked back to the common room but not before heading to the owlry to send a letter.

"What are you smiling about?" Harry asked him as Aries joined him by the fire. Aries smiled, "you'll see tomorrow."

* * *

The next morning Harry was rewarded as he saw the Potter family owl arriving in the great hall, carrying a striking red envelope. Sure enough soon Lily Potter's voice was amplified loud enough for everyone to hear.

Harry snickered, Alex had gotten in trouble and was paying the price. So this was what Aries had meant. Needless to say it made his whole day brighter.

It was a few days later that Aries was sitting in the library when Harry walked in and plopped down next to him. "I over heard Alex talking to Ron and Neville about something."

Aries stopped what he was doing, "about what?"

"They're looking for information on Nicholas Flammel," Harry casually said. "Why would they need to know about Flammel. I mean it's not like their interested in alchemy."

Aries looked up and looked around before he bent over close to Harry. "Have you ever heard of the philosopher's stone?" He asked Harry, who had dreams of being an alchemist.

Harry nodded, "of course. It's an alchemist's dream to make one."

Aries smirked. "What would you say if I knew where one was?"

Harry blinked, before he laughed but stopped as Aries looked serious. "You know where it is? The only one around was made by Nicolas Flammel. Wouldn't Flammel have it?"

Aries shook his head, "I believe it's here…he gave it to Dumbledore for safe keeping."

Harry blanched, "does this have anything to do with Voldemort?"

Aries nodded, "we should probably wait and see what Alex and his friends decide to do…I know you don't get along with Alex." Harry snorted, "um…thats your line."

Aries grinned but kept going, "true…but we can't let our hate keep us from helping him…a time will come when he's going to need our help."

Harry wanted to groan but Aries was right. No matter how much his family hated him, he still loved them and wanted to protect them. It was his deepest desire for his family to acknowledge him.

* * *

The weeks passed and soon it was time for Christmas, which found Harry and Aries seated on a compartment heading home. They were joined by Daphne, Blaise and Hermione, while Susan and Hannah were sitting with their Hufflepuff friends.

The train pulled to a stop and Harry nudged Aries awake, who had once again fallen asleep on Harry's shoulder. "Come on sleepy head, we're home and your about to be bombarded."

Sure enough, as soon as Aries stepped outside on the platform he was attacked by blurs of children.

"Aries!"

Aries rolled his eyes, this had to be unhealthy. He hoped they wouldn't be like this when they came to Hogwarts, he wasn't sure he would survive it.

Marlene laughed as she came on the scene. No matter how long he was gone, the little ones would always love Aries. In fact both Regulus and Elara hadn't stopped asking when he was coming home for a week. She was pretty sure that it was the same for Jamie, Teddy and Jude.

But for now, she would help him out. "Alright, lets give him some room to breathe."

As usual Alexander ignored Harry and Aries while looking around, "Where's Uncle Remus and Teddy?"

"Teddy has the flu, so they're at home recovering so that they can join us for the actual holiday," said James. All the adults had noticed a lack of conversation between the three young boys and were confused on what was going on. They didn't worry to much as Dumbledore hadn't seen fit to owl them, but maybe they needed to pay more attention.

Sirius clapped his hands together, "well I don't know about you but I'm ready for dinner."

They all left the platform and each family went their separate ways, promising to meet together for the holidays. Sirius decided to treat his family, so that night they found themselves eating dinner at their favorite muggle restaurant.

When they got back to the Black family home, Aries found himself pulled inside where he spent the rest of the evening playing games with his younger siblings.

* * *

The holiday was spent off and on, doing holiday homework and playing outside in the snow with his family. Since the Potters lived out in a wooded area, Christmas found the Black family once again at the mercy of the Potter family.

After promising to come seek out Jamie for a game of quidditch, Aries went in search of Harry. He found him in his regular position, reading a book by the fireplace.

"Hey." He came over and set his chin on the chair to see what Harry was reading. "How's the study going?" Harry was spending any free time he had to study blood magic, something that was probably banned since it was considered dark magic, but really it was all in the way you used it.

Harry closed the book and looked up at Aries. "It's going…" Aries laughed, that meant that Harry had hit a snag and was getting frustrated. He smiled and handed Harry his present as Harry did the same. Aries saw that it was a small rectangular package, and when he opened it, he had to smile.

He picked up a necklace with a small charm, he could feel the protective spells woven through the metal, and knew that Harry had spent hours on this. He put it on right away, "thanks, Harry."

Harry opened his package, to see that Aries had gotten him a new pair of quidditch gloves. Quidditch was his favorite sport and to know that his family lavished gift after gift on Alex who had no talent, and gave nothing to Harry who was outstanding, was the norm. Aries had seen this and taken it upon himself to provide Harry with the proper gear so that he could perform to his full potential. Seeing the gloves, Harry was suddenly reminded of another gift that had mysteriously appeared one morning at breakfast.

"Thanks Aries…for the gloves and the broom."

Aries gave him an innocent stare, "why what ever are you talking about?"

Harry snorted, so his friend wasn't going to say anything, it was just nice to know that someone cared.

They both went downstairs and spent the rest of the day lavishing in the company of their family and friends, or at least that was the case for Aries. Harry was shut to the side, but since he was used to this he pulled out a book he had gotten from Daphne and spent the afternoon reading.

* * *

To soon the holiday ended and it was time to board the train back to Hogwarts. Goodbyes were said and Aries and Harry went to find a compartment. Once the train started, and no one had appeared Aries decided to go look for them. "I'll be back, alright Harry."

Harry nodded, lost in his book again.

Aries slid open the door and walked up to where he thought the Slytherin compartments should be, and when he got there he couldn't help but overhear. "Come now Greengrass. What do you see in those guys anyway?" Aries glanced in, to see Malfoy standing over Daphne with an expression of utmost hate.

"There's nothing wrong with them." Replied Daphne, "at least they know how to treat people respectively."

Malfoy sneered, "you disgust me Greengrass…"

Aries had had enough, and was about to burst in when he felt someone rush past him, he saw that it was Blaise. "Get off Malfoy!"

Malfoy glared at the Italian, "its your watch dog."

Blaise clenched his hands, "just leave us alone Malfoy," he grabbed the girl and pulled her out into the hall with Aries. She looked distraught, "let's get her to Harry," Blaise said.

Aries nodded, and soon the three were safely inside the compartment that housed Harry. When the door opened and they entered Harry immediately went to comfort Daphne. "What happened?" He asked looking at both Blaise and Aries as Daphne trembled in his arms

Aries shared a glance with Blaise who spoke up, "I went to the bathroom and when I came back, Malfoy had cornered her and was saying nasty things about you."

Harry nodded, and held Daphne close, soon she was well enough to leave his arms, and went to sleep with her head on his shoulder. Aries went to sit by Blaise, it wasn't until later that Hermione finally showed up.

"Where have you been?" asked Harry.

She gagged and looked upset, "Ron cornered me, and dragged me to sit with Alex and Neville…I've just got away."

Harry and Aries shared a glance, obviously they thought to sway Hermione's friendship away. This would need to be dealt with, and Aries smirked, he knew just the prank to do it.

When the train stopped, he grabbed hold of Harry and Blaise pulling them back behind the girls. Waving the girls ahead, Aries whispered his plan to the boys. Harry grinned with an evil glint in his eyes, and Blaise looked like Christmas had come again.

That night after dinner, they laid out the ground work for their prank, meaning Aries couldn't wait until the morning.

Aries sauntered into the great hall for breakfast and sat down waiting for the fireworks to start. As soon as one of the trio walked into the hall, their clothes would disappear, but they themselves wouldn't know it.

Harry walked down and joined him, and soon the first victim appeared. It just happened to be Alex Potter.

He stepped through the doors of the great hall and sure enough, his clothes disappeared. He didn't know but others did, so whispers started out among the students down for breakfast. Of course this wasn't all the prank did, stamped across his but were the words, try me.

The next victim was Ron Weasley. The same thing happened to him, and as he went to sit next to Alex, someone wolf whistled. Finally Neville walked in, and received the same treatment, causing all three to be confused as to what was going on. The last one was Draco Malfoy and he walked in with his gang. Theo Nott's eyebrow twitched as he regarded one of his friends. Pansy shrieked, "Draco! What's going on?"

All four were perplexed until Professor McGongall saw them and yelled, "Potter! Weasley! Longbottom! Malfoy! What do you think you're doing naked?"

Alex was confused, "what do you mean naked…I have on clothes."

McGonagall's eye twitched, "is this a joke? I can promise you that you and your friends are very much naked, as we speak…what's more are the words imprinted on your backside, which I will not repeat."

All four boys faces grew red with embarrassment as she herded them out of the hall. Harry couldn't keep his laughter in, and had to lean on Aries for balance. Aries was laughing as well until he caught a glimpse of Severus who looked downright mad.

He clammed up and slapped Harry, "Uncle Sev is looking at us." This calmed Harry down, and both boys gulped as Severus made his way to the two boys.

"Just like your fathers." Severus said with a frown. Aries and Harry glanced up at Severus and tried not to laugh but it was no use.

Severus sighed, "20 points from Ravenclaw and a detention with Juliet."

Both boys groaned, but accepted the punishment. It was worth it to see justice done for a friend.

"Come on Uncle Sev…you have to admit. It was pretty funny," Aries commented.

Severus turned to head to the dungeons not saying anything but Aries swore that the corners of his mouth twitched ever so slightly.

At that moment they were joined by Blaise, and the girls. Blaise looked output that he had missed the prank, while Hermione and Daphne rolled their eyes, but secretly glad for their friends.

* * *

Knowing what he knew, over the next few days Aries watched Alex to see what he and his friends were going to do about the stone. He would listen to their conversations but as soon as they saw him close by they would shut up.

Aries was in the library hiding away from Hermione who seemed to think it was a good idea to start studying for finals even though they were months away.

Harry found him and plopped down into a chair and laid his head down on his arms.

"She's going to be the death of me…I just know it," he whined.

Aries gave a chuckle. Hermione was after all her friends to start studying, Aries had simply ignored her but Harry being the soft soul that he was went along and was now paying the price. "I'm sure she'll let up." He said with a grin.

Harry groaned in response. Aries laughed, "you like studying though…this should be a piece of cake."

Harry glared at him, "yeah but Hermione is making me change my mind."

Aries rolled his eyes. Harry was just being dramatic, Aries knew he really didn't mind.

"There you guys are."

Both looked to see Hermione strolling towards them, her hands full of books, Daphne and Blaise not far behind.

She set down the books with a thud. "Don't hurt yourself Hermione." Aries grunted.

She glared at Aries, but sat down anyway and started to work. The weeks soon flew by with classes, and quidditch. Ravenclaw was in the lead thanks to Harry and looked to win the house cup as well as the quidditch cup.

Aries had his hands full keeping his eye on Alex and his gang. They seemed to have a knack for getting into trouble, so Aries needed to make sure that they wouldn't lose their heads in anything dangerous.

He also kept up his visits to Godric, who had given him more then enough venom to own half of Diagon Ally. When Aries brought up needing to destroy horcuxes the snake had even given Aries a tooth that was coated in the venom that would come in handy for when he would start destroying those vile pieces of soul. He also kept giving a small vile to Snape, who although confused about where they were coming from, knew better then to look a gift in the mouth.

Winter ended and soon Spring came. It was soon the last quidditch game of the school year and it was going to be Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor. That morning Aries awoke to see Harry still asleep in his bed.

He smirked to himself, before summoning Harry's pillow from where he was laying on it. Harry awoke and looked to see where his pillow had gone, to see that Aries had it and was grinning.

Harry summoned his own pillow and promptly threw it at Aries. This caused the other boys to wake and pillows were thrown back and forth until feathers covered the room.

"POTTER!"

Harry sat up. Roger Davies, the captain of the Ravenclaw team was yelling for him to get down there. He quickly dressed in his blue robes, and grabbed his broom.

Aries and his roommates gave Harry thumbs up as he left. Aries knew that it was also the first game that his family would get to see Harry play, even if they were only coming under the pretext of Alex's games. Aries couldn't wait for Harry to show what he could do.

Aries dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved Henley, checked himself in the mirror and went down to the great hall.

When he got there he went ahead and sat at the Ravenclaw table and started piling food on his plate. Someone sat down beside him, and Aries didn't have to turn to know it was Blaise.

"Blaise."

Baise shook his head, "I'll never get how you always know who it is without looking at them."

Aries smiled, "it's a gift."

Blaise rolled his eyes, and joined in the eating. After a few minutes Blaise noticed that Aries had gone quiet as he stared at his plate of food.

"What's with the sad face?" He poked the boy on the side.

"Does this have anything to do with the quiddtich game today?"

Aries looked at Daphne, who was standing behind them, having just come down and he nodded. She narrowed her eyes, and started banging food on her plate, clearly mad at someone.

Hermione was confused. "What's wrong with the quidditch game? Shouldn't we be happy this is for the cup?"

Aries shook his head. "I don't know if you've noticed but Harry's family doesn't really…" he trailed off not sure how to put it. It wasn't like they neglected him, they just kept him at arms length.

Hermione nodded, she had noticed the coolness between the family at the platform but knew that it wasn't her business to ask.

Aries took a deep breath. "Well, the match today is between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor…so that means that the family is coming…mainly because of Alex."

Hermione gasped, "you mean…"

Aries nodded, "don't get me wrong, I love the Potter's…but at times I wish they could see Harry for who he truly is."

Blaise and Daphne were used to this kind of comment, Aries sometimes gave off an air of knowing what was going to happen before it actually happened, and sometimes spoke in a more adult manner then a child.

Aries finished eating, and got up to head out to the pitch. "I'll meet you guys out there later."

His three friends waved, and Aries walked outside. He didn't have to go very far until he saw who he was looking for. They were standing in a semi-circle, softly talking amongst themselves. Aries was confused, he didn't see his mother or Lily around or for that matter Jamie or Elara.

"Where is everyone?" He asked, directing everyone's attention to him.

Sirius turned and smiled at his son. Even at eleven years of age he could tell that Aries would grow to be one handsome man. "They're up in the hospital wing with Juliet and Jude."

Aries nodded, "oh."

James smiled, "why don't tell me you actually miss those two jumping all over you."

Aries blushed, "of course not…I was just looking for the ladies."

That didn't go over with the famous marauders, who just laughed. Aries shrugged it off, and saw that students were slowly trickling out to the pitch.

Aries sighed. "Well…I'm off. This is sure to be one heck of a game." He turned to walk away, but not before throwing over his shoulder, "especially the action between Harry and Alex."

* * *

James and Remus watched him run off to join a group of his friends, before turning to Sirius. Remus frowned, "he's really attached to Harry."

James glanced at Sirius, "I've also noticed that he's not as close with Alex as before."

Remus was surprised, "really, they seemed ok at Christmas."

James looked back over at his son's best friend, "Dumbledore thinks we should break them apart."

Sirius shook his head. He didn't know what to say, he and Marlene had talked about the friendship but they ultimately decided that Aries could be friends with who he wanted. "Why though?"

James looked at his best friend, "he thinks Harry is leading Aries down a dark path, with no return." Inwardly he cringed at the comment. This was his oldest son Dumbledore was talking about and it hit home that the old headmaster really thought that Harry would turn out that way. This all had to do with that stupid prophecy and that night which ruined their lives all because of one mad man.

Sirius frowned, "it's his life. I have no right to tell him who to be friends with."

James nodded, "we know…which is why we haven't said anything, but Dumbledore might try something."

Remus looked apprehensive, "well Aries is a smart kid, I'm sure he can take care of himself."

The men were just about to head over to the pitch when the rest of their group finally walked towards them.

James greeted his wife with a kiss to the cheek, "Did you get everything sorted out?" Apparently Severus had wanted the help of figuring out who kept giving him viles of basilisk venom, so he had asked both Lily and Marlene to come up to the castle.

Lily shook her head, "it's the weirdest thing. Sev just keeps randomly getting viles of basilisk venom, and has no idea where it comes from."

All three men looked concerned, "I wasn't sure there was even a basilisk alive today," said Remus.

A simple, "mum…the game's starting," ended the conversation.

* * *

Aries watched the game with an excitement that was unnatural. Ravenclaw was in the lead by 50 points and Harry was doing his seeker thing. He was watching the chasers trying to score, when Hermione gave a shout from beside him. This had been a surprise. Hermione was clearly cheering for the Ravens even though she was from the house of the lion.

"Oh…Harry's seen the snitch." She clapped with joy.

Aries watched, and indeed Harry was now in a dive straight for the ground, eyes fixed on the small golden ball. Alex was in close pursuit, but wasn't quick enough. Harry pulled out of the dive with the ball firmly in his hand and a big smile on his face, Alex wasn't so lucky and crashed into the ground.

"Ouch," Aries winced. Harry had just performed a Wronski Feint perfectly, Alex would be hurting for awhile. Even as the Gryffindors flew down to Alex, the Ravenclaws speed towards Harry, shouting in excitement. Aries and his friends rushed to join the celebration on the ground, and watched as the cup was brought forth and given to Rodger Davies and his team.

Harry was in high spirits, he had finally beaten his brother at something, and the feeling was immense.

"Party in the common room!" yelled someone.

The crowd thinned out, and Harry was on his way back to the changing rooms when he was hit in the back.

He turned around to see Jamie. "You did that on purpose."

He was confused at the anger of his sister. She went on, "Alex could have been seriously hurt. Don't you care at all?"

Harry narrowed his eyes, "it's part of the game. I thought you understood that."

She glared at him, and was about to respond when Aries came to the rescue.

"What's going on here, Jamie?"

She glared at Aries, "and you…why do you always side with…with this thing?" She pointed at Harry who hid his pain away with a mask. He didn't want people to hear how his family hated him, but Daphne, Blaise and Hermione were in the background watching.

Aries glared at her and crossed his arms, "that was uncalled for Jamie…and you know it."

"You're unbelievable Aries." She narrowed her eyes at Aries, "Alex was right about you."

Aries couldn't believe what he was hearing. He scoffed, "are you asking me to make a choice?"

She crossed her arms, and stared straight at Aries. The intent was clear, he could either be friends with Harry which they would cease to be friends or he could stop being friends with Harry and everything would be alright.

Harry couldn't take anymore so ran off towards any direction away from this one. Aries watched him run off, and something snapped inside of him.

He turned his back on Jamie, "if this is what you want, then this is what you'll get." He didn't look back as he continued, "have a nice life, Mrs. Potter."

Aries couldn't stop the tears that fell from his face, and neither could Jamie. She looked devastated and Aries didn't look much better. He stood there with his hands clenched at his sides, while Jamie turned and fled.

The adults had been having a quick conversation with some of their old professors, and were now making their way over to where they could see their children.

Just as they arrived, Jamie ran over to her mother's arms, crying her eyes out. Lily was confused, "Jamie?"

She shook her head, and just clung tighter to Lily. Lily looked over at Aries, who from where she was standing she could tell that he was upset as well.

Alex saw his sister in tears, and saw red. He stalked over to Aries and yanked him around by the shoulder, "what did you do to her?"

Aries didn't say anything. Alex upset, pushed him to the ground. Lily frowned. James had said that he had fought with Aries and to see it play out in real life was a little disconcerting.

Aries got back up, "don't touch me Potter." He turned to walk away, "if you want to know what happened, why don't you ask her." All eyes turned to Jamie, who was still clearly upset, even as Aries ran off in the opposite direction. Sirius took one look at his friends, before he ran after his son.

The other adults were still confused when a bushy brown haired young girl came forward and slapped Alex on the cheek, then walk away. This was followed by the Greengrass's eldest daughter slapping his other cheek who followed after the brunette. The final blow came from a black haired Italian boy, "you're a real prat Potter…not everything revolves around you." He calmly walked away.

The mood had quickly gone from the happy mood to a somber one. James looked over at Alex, "you should get back up to the castle."

Alex only nodded and left.

"What just happened?" asked Lily to anyone in particular. She looked at Jamie, "Jamie…what did Aries mean?"

Jamie sniffled and hid her face in her mother's stomach, not wanting to talk. It was Elara who surprisingly said something. "She gave Aries a choice."

Lily gasped. "Jamie! How could you!"

Jamie looked up at her mother, "but…Alex said that Harry was bad…"

This shut up both Lily and James, who frowned. Due to the parents neglect, they had obviously taught that Harry was someone to be looked down on. James swallowed his guilt, he made a promise to try and fix this. He knelt down in front of his youngest, "There is nothing wrong with Harry, he's just…fragile and to make Aries choose his friends wasn't right of you."

Jamie held her head down and shuffled her feet. Marlene knelt down next to James, "don't worry sweetie. I'm sure if you say your sorry, then Aries will forgive you." Jamie peered up at her aunt with hope in her eyes, "really?" Marlene nodded.

Lily sighed and rubbed her daughter's hair, "maybe we should head home. It's been a long day."

* * *

Sirius caught up to his son just outside near the black lake. "Aries." He said simply and placed his hand on his son's shoulder. He could feel Aries shaking with hidden sobs and so Sirius did what any parent would do and pulled his son into his arms. "Hey now…it will be alright."

Aries shook his head, "I just don't get it…why doesn't his family like him?"

Sirius bit his lip. He knew what Aries was asking and he wasn't sure how to answer. "Aries…there are circumstances beyond our control…" he trailed off, not sure if he was helping.

Aries pulled back and wiped his face. Sirius lifted his chin, so that their eyes met. "For what it's worth…I think your doing the admirable thing."

Aries bit his lip, "you think so?"

Sirius nodded. Maybe by being friends with Aries was the key to helping Harry. They would have to wait and see. He only hoped that it didn't come back and bite them in the but.

He kissed Aries on the forehead. "I've got to go but remember…I love you."

Aries nodded and smiled at his dad, "thanks dad."

* * *

 **One more chapter to go for first year...stay tuned!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here it is...the last chapter of first year! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine and never will be...**

* * *

That night found Harry, Daphne, Blaise and Hermione waiting outside a statue of Barnabus the third on the seventh floor.

Hermione looked around, "where's Aries?"

Her question was answered however as a door appeared out of nowhere and Aries stepped out.

Blaise was impressed, "what is this place?"

Aries motioned them inside, and swept his arms around the room, "Welcome to the room of requirement. The room that allows you to want whatever you want."

Right now Aries had it set up like an old fashioned muggle sleep over. There were blankets spread all over the floor, and pillows all situated in a circle.

Daphne looked around before plopping herself down on the blankets, getting comfy. "What's this for? Is this about what happened today?"

Aries nodded, Harry winced as he remembered what happened. Aries saw this and shook his head, "it's not your fault Harry." Aries came over to his best friend and looking him in the eye.

"But…it's cost you your friendship…" Harry mumbled quietly.

Aries shook his head, "you're my friend...my best friend and I wouldn't change that for the world."

Now it was time for Harry to shake his head, "still…I know how you felt about Jamie…don't pretend that you're alright."

Aries heaved a sigh, "she sees only what she wants to see…until she can see clearly, she's going to have to live with her actions."

Blaise was lying on the floor on his stomach and decided to break the somber mood, "so why'd you call us here?"

Aries looked around his friends, "I've been thinking, " here he pulled out a piece of parchment with a design on it. "What do you guys think of this?"

Daphne looked it over, it was the celtic symbol for friendship, but what was special was that Aries had somehow integrated their initials into the design. "I like it…" she grinned, "don't you think we're a little to young for this?"

Aries grinned, so Daphne had figured out where he was going with this. "Maybe…but I don't know what will happen in the future but with this I hope that everyone will always be reminded that no matter what happens, you'll always have your friends."

Blaise's eye's lit up as he caught on, "wicked Aries."

Harry looked at Hermione, "your quiet over there, Hermione."

It seemed she had caught on as well. She glanced at him, "I'm just not sure…we're only eleven, and what if someone sees it."

"A simple concealment charm." He said simply.

Blaise was getting excited, "so how and where are we going to do this?" Aries smirked. "Diagon Ally."

All four of his friends were confused. Aries waved his wand and stood in his alter ego. They all gasped, as he went around changing his friends. Harry gained looks similar to Aries, so they would be brothers, Daphne became black haired and green eyed, while Blaise got brown hair and blue eyes and Hermione got blonde and hazel.

She looked over herself, "impressive Aries…I wasn't aware you could do full body glamour's."

He shrugged, "can't reveal all my secrets now, can I?"

Daphne tapped her foot, "well now we look like we're adults, this still doesn't explain how we're getting to the city."

Harry shared glances with Aries, "I guess we're going to the tunnels."

Aries nodded. Harry explained, "when our fathers went to school here they found all these secret tunnels that led to outside and told us about them." Aries grinned and led the way to where in the dark of night the five friends made their way to the tunnels that would lead them to Hogsmede. When they got there, Aries had another surprise as he made a port-key for them.

Harry raised an eyebrow at that tidbit of information but kept quiet. It was obvious that Aries knew more magic then he let on.

They landed in Diagon Ally and Aries led them to a small wizarding tattoo parlor. Aries got his on back shoulder, while Harry got his on the opposite shoulder. Blaise decided to get his on the side of his stomach, while Daphne put her's on her ankle, and Hermione put hers on her back as well.

Soon all five friends were back at Hogwarts admiring the handiwork.

Hermione looked at the tattoo in a mirror, "I can not believe that we just did that."

Daphne laughed, "feels good to be a rebel…doesn't it?"

She smiled and gave a nod. For the first time she was glad she came to Hogwarts and had met her friends. It was hard being in Gryffindor by herself but her friends always were there for her if she needed them. They spent the rest of the night, just reveling in the fact that they were friends and always would be.

* * *

Morning came, and as the girls left before the boys, Aries held back Harry and Blaise. "I had another reason I called you here, but never got around to telling you."

Both boys instantly turned serious. "I overheard Alex and his friends talking about going after the stone."

Harry narrowed his eyes, while Blaise was confused. "Stone…what stone?"

Aries looked at his friend, "how would you like to go on an adventure?"

Blaise blinked but nodded anyway. That night the three friends met on the third corridor. Aries opened the door, and cursed. Fluffy the three headed dog was fast asleep, with a harp laying nearby as well as a silvery cloak that could only mean one thing.

Harry came to the same conclusion, "Alex is already down there…right?"

Aries nodded. Blaise scowled, "we're here to save Potter?"

Aries quietly crept forward, "yeah but in the long run…we are also saving everyone else from Voldemort." He jumped down the trapdoor, Harry followed and Blaise swallowed what ever he wanted to say and jumped down after them.

He landed on something soft and squishy, and panicked as he felt it wrap around his legs. "You have to relax Blaise." He snorted, easy for him to say, but he relaxed anyway, and when he did he dropped to another level. Aries and Harry were grinning at him, and he stood up, and walked off ignoring the two.

The next room they came too had a bunch of small things flying around, with brooms against the door. Harry grabbed a broom and took off, looking for a old silver key. He quickly found it, and they went through the door, shutting it behind them. They bypassed a troll knocked unconscious on the ground, and made their way to what looked like a giant chess-set. Ron Weasley was knocked out on the ground, and Aries saw that they didn't need to play another round. Aries turned to Blaise, "I need you to stay with Weasley, and when he comes around take him to the hospital wing."

Blaise wasn't happy but nodded anyway. It was at that moment that Neville came running through the door. He stopped when he saw the three, "what are you doing here?"

Aries didn't have time for this, he pushed Harry towards the door. "Alex needs you…" he gave a pointed glare at Harry who nodded.

Ignoring Neville they went through the door, to see a line of bottles and a poem on a piece of parchment. Harry read it, and after a moment picked up two bottles. Aries faced Harry. "You know what you have to do…"

Harry nodded. Aries had told him over the course of the year what was going on and they had prepared.

"Don't be seen…I'll be waiting."

They drank up and Harry left through one door while Aries went back the way they came.

Harry pushed open the door, taking in deep breaths. Alex was in front of a mirror, talking to that odious Quirrell, saying something that made the man angry. He had his wand and shot a spell at Alex who unfortunately was hit and knocked to the ground. Harry chose this time to make himself known as he shot a spell out at Quirrell.

"Who's there!" He whirled around looking for the source of the spell. His eyes landed on Harry, "You" he sneered. Harry calmly walked to the mirror and looked at his reflection. His mirror self winked and Harry felt something heavy land in his pocket…his breath hitched, it was the stone.

"Let me speak to the boy," hissed a voice.

"Master…you're too weak," muttered Quirrell. "Silence!" Harry almost closed his eyes in horror as Quirrell unwrapped that awful turban from his head and Harry came face to face with what could only be Voldemort.

"Another Potter," he sneered. "I sense darkness in you…confusion and hate." Voldemort got a gleam in his eyes, "you would be great you know…join me and help to take down the family that despises you."

Harry was breathing hard. He thought of his life before, when he had no one, but now…Aries' face burst in his head as did the faces of his other friends.

"NO! Never!" Harry lunged at Quirrell, who when he came in contact with Harry's skin, a burning smell of flesh appeared. Harry watched in horror before placing both hands on his face. Quirrell stepped back, and screamed in pain. With a roar the spirit of Voldemort wretched free from his servant, and with a bellow of rage…vanished. Harry took deep breaths, he could hear voices and people coming. Remembering what Aries had said, he quickly grabbed the port-key that Aries had made and flashed out, just before members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived.

* * *

Aries was biting his fingers in anticipation. He should have gone with Harry, but he knew that Harry needed to gain strength on his own. Harry was the one in the end who would have to battle Voldemort. It had been hours since he had come back to the room of requirement with Blaise. He was getting worried when a pop announced the arrival of one Harry James Potter.

"Harry!" His hands reached out to catch Harry, who fell into them, causing them to fall to the ground. Harry closed his eyes and curled up into Aries side, and reached up for Blaise who joined them.

Aries wondered what was causing this moment of weakness, Voldemort must have said something to Harry. His eyes met Blaise's and they sat that way until, a whispered "thanks."

Harry soon calmed down enough and they left for the great hall, and Aries wondered if Harry would feel comfortable telling them what had occurred down in the chamber. When they got to the great hall, they saw their friends at the Hufflepuff table and went to join them.

Harry sat down between Daphne and Hermione who took one look at their friend and without saying anything, both gave him a hug. Aries sat down by Susan, while Blaise was next to Hannah.

"We were beginning to wonder where you three were?" smirked Susan. "Should we be warned of anything?"

Aries merely smiled, "maybe…who knows?"

She laughed, which caused her friends to smile. "You missed it…Dumbledore gave points to the wonder boy and his goons so they won the house cup."

Harry shrugged, "oh well…as long as I can beat my idiot brother at quiddtich and smarts then I don't care about anything else." This caused everyone to laugh and glance over at the Gryffindor table, where the boy in question was eating with his friends.

Soon it was time to pack the trunks and head to the platform that would take them home. Aries looked out the window, thinking on his first year. Harry came to stand by him and placed his head on his shoulder.

"Well that's one year down, only six more to go."

Aries smiled, "true…"

Harry bit his lip, "will you still come over to the house?"

Aries nodded, "just because I don't get along with Alex or Jamie anymore doesn't change a thing. I still like Lily and James." He smirked, "and then of course there's this boy…I think his name is Harry…"

Harry laughed and smacked him, "oaf." They left the dorm, excited for summer and to see where the future would take them.

* * *

 **Question time: I have this story more or less written out with a huge time skip in the next chapter. However, I can always go and change it, so I'm wondering; should I go through the years like normal or just follow my gut.**

 **Let me know and stay tuned!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! So I have decided to follow my gut. There is a major time skip and as this is a AU story the follow up years until this one were pretty tame. Also, while Harry and Aries seem close they are not the one's in a relationship. Please remember that I am not perfect so be wary of grammar mistakes but other then that…Enjoy!**

* * *

"Aries! Are you ready?"

Aries took one last look in the mirror before he headed downstairs to where his family was waiting. Today was a joint party for Harry and Alexander, although most people wouldn't even remember that it was also Harry's birthday. Aries shifted his gift under his arm, he had looked far and wide for Harry's gift and he was sure that Harry would be pleased.

A lot had changed over the years.

Aries was now a young man of seventeen and was his father in almost every aspect. He stood about 6'2 inches and had all the aristocratic features the blacks were known for. His shiny black hair was a little on the long side and it fell across his face, almost covering one of his bright dazzling golden green eyes., the only thing he seemed to have gotten from his mother. Thanks to years of quidditch and learning muggle sports he had a lithe muscular body that he knew all the girls at Hogwarts drooled about.

"Hello Mum." He kissed Marlene on the cheek. "Ma Petite Etoile." Elara giggled as he kissed her repeatedly on the cheek as well.

Regulas rolled his eyes, used to his sibling's antics. "I hope you don't have one of those for me."

Aries straightened with a gleam in his eyes. "Of course not Reggie."

Regulas narrowed his eyes at his older brother but didn't say anything. He turned away to grab the floo powder and Aries took his chance. The spell was over before it had begun. Sirius and Elara both had to cover their mouths to not let the laughter get through, while Marlene simply rolled her eyes.

Regulas looked back at his family, "what?"

Aries stepped forward and shoved Regulas to the fireplace, "nothing Reggie. Come on, we're going to be late."

The joke was ruined of course the minute that Regulas stepped out of the fire and Jude ran over to meet Elara. "What's wrong with your hair, Reggie?"

Regulas frowned, "what do you mean Jude? Nothing's wrong with my hair."

Jude cocked his head in confusion, "then why is it neon orange with bright blue polka dots?"

Regulas yelled, "what!" He ran over to a mirror and whipping out his wand yelled, "finite incatem!" It did nothing, except only change the colors so now they were flashing between neon yellow and pink polka dots. As soon as Aries stepped through, Regulas whipped around, "change it back Aries!"

Aries grinned, "fine."

With a wave of his wand, Regulas's hair went back to it's dark blond hair color. Regulas grunted and stalked off to find his two best friends, Teddy Lupin and Jamie Potter.

Aries said goodbye to his parents and headed up to the library to find Harry. Harry was in the same place that Aries always found him. Aries could tell he was crying by the shaking of his shoulders and he simply stood by Harry's side. Harry moved so that his head laid down on Aries shoulder.

"What happened Harry?"

Harry was quiet for a few seconds then he finally straightened and glanced at the window. "They've taken away my birthright."

Aries wasn't sure he had heard right, "what did you say? They've taken away…your birthright?"

Harry closed his eyes and nodded. Aries was fuming. To take away the birthright of the oldest male without his consent was almost like stripping him naked. Plus Alex now had the power to turn Harry away whenever he felt like it. Aries turned Harry so that he faced him, "why did they do that?"

Harry shrugged, "Dumbledore said it would help Alex…"

Aries wanted to hit something. Dumbledore was a bigger nuisance then he thought. Harry must have sensed Aries anger, "it's fine Aries…I don't need to be the Potter heir."

Aries faltered, "but…everything you've learned has been for them…"

Harry closed his eyes. "I know and I will do everything to protect them until the end," he paused and slipped his hand into his pocket. Aries raised an eyebrow at the ring that Harry was showing him, "I plan on asking for Daphne's hand in marriage…and since there are no heirs for Greengrass…I plan on becoming a Greengrass."

Aries swallowed. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Harry nodded. "I've already talked it over with Cygnus and have his approval."

Aries sighed, "well as long as this is what you want…I won't stop you."

Harry grinned. "Thanks, Aries." He peered around at Aries, trying to see what was in his pocket. "Now what did you bring me?"

Aries snorted, "cheeky thing," but handed over his gift.

Harry ripped open the box and lifted the book with awe in his face. He clutched it to his chest, "how did…where did you…"

Aries smiled. "You're my best friend as well as my brother. I know you like the back of my hand."

Harry closed his eyes as tears began to fall. He leaned forward and rested his head on Aries' shoulder, "thank you."

Aries patted his back, grabbing Harry's hands. "Now come on…Aunt Lily makes the best cake. Let's go grab some."

Harry laughed and allowed Aries to pull him from the library.

* * *

Sirius watched Aries walk away and sighed. "Do you ever think that Dumbledore might have been wrong?"

He said it quietly but James heard and came over, following Sirius's gaze. "…All the time. Harry has always been stronger then Alex," he sighed. "Even though I was against it, Dumbledore made me hand over the headship."

He almost mumbled the last sentence but still Sirius caught it. "What?" He said sharply.

James closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his hands, "Harry's face when I told him…his expression didn't even change. It was the only thing that linked him to us…now I fear we have chased him away…for good."

Sirius's eye's softened. "That's not true…Harry loves you…"

James snorted. "Yeah right…how could he after the way he was treated." He sniffed. "He's seventeen and I don't even know what he likes to do for fun. We've ruined the chance to know our son."

Sirius didn't know what to say. At that moment both Aries and Harry came down the stairs laughing merrily. Aries had his arm over Harry's shoulder and Harry seemed to be telling a story that had both of them in stitches. James smiled at the picture, it was just like him and Sirius. "At least Aries has been there for him." He turned to Sirius, "you raised a great kid, Pads."

Sirius looked insulted. "Are you saying that I wasn't parent material?"

"Please." Someone snorted. Sirius and James turned to see Remus, "we all know that Marlene did most of the work."

"That's the truth." Muttered Severus under his breath. Sirius looked even more insulted while James laughed.

"I'm glad that someone appreciates my hard work." Marlene said with a smile as the women came over. She kissed Sirius on the cheek, "they're only joking. You were a great parent."

* * *

"Ummm. What did I tell you Harry?" Aries was currently sitting at the kitchen table and eating a piece of Lily's cake. "Aunt Lily makes the best cake…no one can compare."

Harry snorted and helped himself to a piece. "That's only because Aunt Marlene can't bake to save her life and always has to use the house-elves. Everyone knows that cake will always taste better homemade."

Aries narrowed his eyes at Harry and stuck out his tongue.

"Finally. Here you are. I've been looking for you for ages."

Aries and Harry turned to see Daphne Greengrass storm into the kitchen. "Ugh..your brother makes me sick."

Harry grinned as she sat down next to him and took a bite of his cake off his fork. "Come on…Alex isn't that bad?"

Daphne looked at Harry as if he had grown a second head. "Are we talking about the same Alex Potter here?"

Harry laughed and kissed her on the cheek. "No. You're right. Alex is a pain."

Daphne smiled. "Happy Birthday Harry." She turned and then proceeded to plop herself in his lap and start snogging the life out of him. Aries rolled his eyes. Ever since they had started dating in third year, Aries was used to this kind of behavior. He stood up and decided to leave them alone for a while, once they started there was no telling how long they would stay that way.

He made his way out to the backyard where the party was happening. He could see Alex in the middle of a huge crowd of people over in the corner, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. His eyes sparkled when they landed on Elara and Jude and he made his way over to them. Elara didn't see him so he made sure that Jude stayed quiet and started tickling his younger sister.

She shrieked with laughter. "Aries…sto…" she looked over at Jude, "Jude…help me."

Jude shook his head, "you're on your own Elara."

She pouted and tried to run away but Aries was faster. "Oh no you don't!" Aries finally relented and rolled away from Elara who was red faced and breathless. She grinned at him, "just you wait."

He poked her on the nose, "I'll be waiting."

Just as he stood up he heard his name being called, "hey Aries!" He glanced over to see his dad waving him over. He pulled Elara up and with a wink left to go see what his dad wanted. When he got there Sirius slung an arm over his shoulder, "what do you say to a little quidditch game?"

Aries grinned. "Your on. What's the stake?"

Sirius smirked, "same as usual."

Aries nodded, "fine…I want Harry on my team." He yelled, "Harry!" Almost instantly Harry appeared next to Aries, "yes?"

Aries crossed his arms, "you up for a little quidditch?"

Harry eyed the players and seeing his brother and sister apart of the opposing team smirked, "always."

The teams were sorted out, with Aries nabbing Harry, Regulas and Teddy, plus Daphne Greengrass as well as to the surprise of everyone gathered, Elara and Jude. Alex on the other hand, had the twins, Ron, Ginny and Jamie plus Neville.

Alex sneered. "Aren't they a little to young to play?" His eyes danced over to the adults, "what do Aunt Marlene and Aunt Juliet say?"

Aries looked up from where he was talking to his team and shrugged, "who knows? And for your information I wouldn't underestimate Elara and Jude."

Ron smirked, "then this should be easy."

Harry rolled his eyes, "don't say that until you've seen them play."

The game got started and it was soon apparent that both Elara and Jude were naturals. The game was soon finished with Aries' team winning 260-130, after Harry had caught the snitch. Everyone was heading in for some of Lily's delicious food when someone pulled Harry back. "You cheated."

Harry pulled his shoulder away and glared at Alex. "What makes you say that, Alex?"

Alex fisted his hands in Harry's shirt. "I saw what you did…that game was totally ours until you-"

"Whoa there Alex." Aries moved over and removed his fists from Harry's shoulder. "Don't be such a sore loser."

Alex snarled. "Of course Harry can't do anything without his watch dog." He spat on the ground, "you're pathetic."

Aries inwardly frowned. Harry stiffened behind him and he could hear Ron and Neville sniggering. Before anyone could move, Alex was hanging upside down, dressed in a frilly dress and singing show tunes at the top of his lungs. Next, both Ron and Neville were frozen and they fell down on the spot.

Aries crossed his arms, "I'm pathetic. At least I'm not the one in a dress." He turned around, "come on Harry…let's get out of here."

Without waiting for Harry to say anything, he grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the house. He stormed through the adults and didn't stop until they were near the fireplace, "Zabini Manor!" He was so mad that he didn't stop to look back at the others who had followed with concerned looks on their faces.

"Mum…Alex needs help." Jamie called out from the backyard.

Lily ran out ahead with most everyone falling behind. She had to bite back a huff of laughter at what she was seeing, clearly though she was the only one with the tact to do so. James, Sirius and Remus snorted with quiet laughter while Marlene and Juliet were grinning and Severus merely smirked. She took out her wand and gave it a wave and Alex fell to the ground, right as normal, while Ron and Neville were unfrozen.

"What happened?" She asked.

Alex didn't say anything but got up and stormed off. Lily turned to Neville, who shrugged. "Nothing happened. It was just a bit of fun." He turned to Ron, "right Ron?"

Ron grumbled something before he stormed off after Alex. Elara looked over at Neville, who was the only one left out of Alex's gang, "this is all your fault." Tears started to fall down her face, "I hate you."

"Elara!" Marlene scolded.

Elara's lower lip stuck out and quickly she turned and ran. Regulas sighed. "I'll go get her." He headed after Elara.

"Well that was a way to end a party." Sirius stated.

"Sirius!" Marlene hissed. She turned apologetic eyes to Lily, "Lily…I'm so sorry_"

Lily waved her hand, "it's fine Marlene." She turned to Neville, "Neville…I think you should head back."

He nodded, "sure Mrs. Potter."

Marlene sighed. "We should head back as well." She pulled Sirius's arm, "we'll still see you for the cup?"

Lily nodded, "of course."

* * *

It was a few days later and they all headed to where the World Cup would be playing. Jamie was literally bouncing with excitement. "I can't believe we got tickets to the world cup!" She lunged at her dad, "thanks dad."

James smiled and patted his daughter on the back, "sure thing sweetie." He pulled out their tickets, "now…let's see. Where were we?"

"We had tickets in the top box." Alex said in a haughty manner. "The minister gave them to us himself."

James winced at his son's tone but didn't say anything. He didn't want to create a scene. Sirius inwardly shook his head. Thanks to Dumbledore, Alex had an ego bigger then the universe and sometimes Sirius couldn't take it. When they got to their seats, they didn't see the minister but they saw that the Weasley's and Longbottom's were here as well and Alex quickly went over to his friends.

"Hello Lily." Said Molly Weasley. "Marlene and Juliet."

"Hello Molly, " Lily returned the greeting. "How has your summer been?"

Molly instantly went on describing her summer and Lily paid attention with half a mind. She was brought back to reality when she heard Juliet mutter beside her, "now what are they doing here?"

She followed Juliet's gaze and gasped. She was sure she wasn't the only one though for coming up the stairs were none other then Aries and Harry, themselves.

Alex frowned. "How did you get tickets?"

* * *

A few days later Aries opened his eyes as his alarm went off. He groaned and rolled back over, not wanting to face the day. It was then that he sat up and remembered that today was the World Cup and his family plus the Potter's, Snape's and Lupin's had tickets. He sighed and draped his legs over the side of his bed his mind drifting back to what had happened after the party.

It had taken Harry and Blaise ages to calm him down and that was with them dueling and fighting. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He heard a tapping sound and looked out the window to see an owl waiting there patiently.

He walked over and retrieved the letter. He turned it over and saw that it had a Gringotts logo on it, so this was from the Goblins. He ripped it open, his smile getting bigger and bigger the longer he read. Well…this should make Harry's day.

He dressed in khaki shorts and pulled over a polo shirt before placing his feet in his shoes. He went to his bathroom and did his morning duties, styled his hair then went downstairs for breakfast.

Once he had gotten to the kitchen he found a note on the table that said the family had headed out early and that whenever he was ready to floo, Lily would be expecting him. "Kretcher!" A pop and the house elf appeared, "young master…what can Kretcher do for you?"

"I'd like some breakfast, please." Kretcher nodded and vanished, reappearing a minute later with Aries favorite breakfast, cinnamon oatmeal with fresh fruit on the side with a glass of orange juice. He ate up and soon he was finished and with a thanks to the old elf headed to the fireplace. He grabbed a handful of the powder, and throwing it into the grate, "Potter Manor!"

He tumbled and coughed, still not used to flooing right. Harry was there to greet him and laughed his but off. Aries glared at Harry but didn't say anything. He looked around for Aunt Lily, "where's Aunt Lily?"

Harry shrugged, "she left an hour ago."

Aries took a deep breath. For all that they said they cared, their actions clearly didn't show it, but it didn't matter because with Lily not being here it made sneaking out easier. He grinned and held up the letter, "well I got this, this morning."

Harry's eyes widened. "Is that?"

Aries nodded. "Yep. The potion worked wonders and along with our other inventions, we are now very rich men."

Harry grinned. "Perfect. Now are those tickets or are my eyes deceiving me?"

Aries smirked, "nope. Apparently the goblins told the minister and he has gifted us tickets as his guests."

Harry laughed, "Merlin. Can you imagine Alex's face?"

Aries snorted. "Now that I can't wait to see. Let's go."

They arrived amidst lively chatter and people scurrying about everywhere. Aries got out the tickets and looked them over. "It looks like we are in the top box." He handed one ticket to Harry, who glanced at the ticket, "well I wonder? What ever could we have done to warrant a seat in the top box, Mr. Black?"

Aries rolled his eyes, "that was lame and you know it."

Harry grimaced. "You're right. Let's just head up."

They were led up to the box, and as they neared they heard the familiar tones of Alex. "How did you get tickets?"

They were saved from answering as the minister saw them and bounced over in his effort to shake their hands. "Merlin…it's so great to meet you in the flesh. The Goblins have been telling me all about your recent endeavors."

Aries bowed. "Thank you minister. It was really nothing."

Lily bit her lip. What had Aries and Harry done that warranted the minister acting like this. The minister went on, "these two young men have done the impossible and have created a vaccine that will cure lycenthorpy."

Remus paled. "That's…"

Harry opened his mouth to speak but Aries grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. "This was our gift to Uncle Remus." He looked straight at Remus, "you deserve so much more."

Remus had to close his eyes as tears threatened to spill over and Sirius clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Aries…I don't know how to thank you." He grabbed Aries and hugged him, hard. Aries smiled and gripped Remus harder, "Uncle Moony…" Remus looked over at Harry and before anyone could say anything had grabbed Harry as well, "thank you so much."

Harry closed his eyes and patted Remus on the back, "like Aries said, you deserve so much more."

A cough broke them apart. Harry gave Remus a smile then went to join Aries towards the front of the box, and waited for the game to start. Aries leaned over to whisper in his ear, "do you think we overdid it?"

Harry bit his lip and took a careful peak back at the family. It had been a secret of their friend group so nobody had known about it, but the women looked shocked while the men looked hurt except for Severus who seemed to still be deciding his thoughts. The younger generation looked murderous or at least Alex and Jamie looked that way. "Maybe, but really…it was the minister's fault."

Aries snorted and would have replied but the game started and their attention was drawn to the quidditch playing on the field. It was during a break that Aries asked about their friends, "where's the gang? They helped so they should have gotten letters as well. I thought they would be here."

Never letting his eyes leave the field Harry replied, "Daphne owled me this morning and said that although they got the letter from the Goblins, they didn't get tickets and Hermione wasn't able to come."

Aries winced. "Ouch…maybe we should have asked for extra tickets. I mean those are our significant others."

Harry grinned. "True…but I already gave Daphne an alternative." He glanced over at Aries, "I don't know what you're going to have to do for Blaise."

Aries scowled. Blaise would certainly have him doing something that he didn't approve of, he would just have to wait and see. When the game ended both Harry and Aries made a quick getaway not wanting to get caught by their families and as soon as they got home, fell into bed, not knowing what was taking place at the location they were just at.

Harry woke up first, and being careful not to wake up Aries, went to the kitchen to get breakfast. He stopped short when he saw the paper, before running up back to his room.

"Aries!"

Aries woke up groggily. He rubbed his eyes, to see Harry shaking the Prophet in front of him. He grabbed it and inwardly winced, he'd forgotten about this, but if everything worked out then no one was hurt. He looked up at Harry to see him trying to hold back tears. He inwardly rolled his eyes, even after all these years Harry still cared for his family no matter how they treated him, and he only showed this side to Aries when they were in private.

"Harry…I'm sure that nothing happened. Uncle James and Aunt Lily, along with Dad and Mum and Uncle Severus and Aunt Juliet as well as Uncle Remus are all fine."

Harry wiped his eyes, "are you sure?"

Aries nodded, "I promise."

Harry nodded, and Aries was proven right when a sound came from downstairs. Aries barely had time to say anything else when the door burst open to reveal his mum, who grabbed him in a hug that choked the life out of him.

"…mum…" he tried unsuccessfully to get his mum to let him go, but she just grabbed harder. He saw his dad in the door, and pleaded for help. "Dad…help me."

Sirius came over and instead of getting his mum off, joined the hug and Aries was confused. Not that he didn't mind being hugged by his parents at this age but what had happened that was different then last time that made his parents want to hug the life out of him. He wondered where Regulas and Elara were? Finally they seemed to be done and Aries tentatively asked, "dad…what happened?"

Sirius shook his head, "nothing…we just wanted to let you know we love you."

Aries inwardly frowned but just decided to go with the flow. Most likely they were just doing this because a person never would know when Death would come and visit. Harry stood off to the side, secretly wishing that someone would hug him like that. He turned to head to the bathroom, when he caught sight of his mum. She also had watery eyes, and for the first time in Harry's life since he could remember she gave him a hug, and whispered, "I love you," before she was gone.

Aries saw what happened and shared a glance with Harry who was confused. However, Aries was whisked away and didn't have time to see Harry until the start of the new term.

* * *

The morning of September 1st drawled bright and cheery and Aries groaned, rolling over to stuff his head in his pillow. He could hear sounds coming from below so that meant that the family was awake and he needed to up soon, but for now he would sleep.

In next to no time though it was time to head to the platform, and amidst all the craziness Aries was even surprised they made it on time. He was just stepping off the train after putting his trunk in his usual compartment when he heard his name.

"Aries!"

He turned to see the lovely Daphne Greengrass running towards him with a slight scowl on her face. He was fully surprised when she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him hard. "Daph…not that I don't mind being hugged by a beautiful lady but what's the deal?"

She pulled back and glanced up at him. "I heard about what happened at the cup…I was worried." She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms with a upturning of the nose. "But if you don't care then-"

Aries smiled. "Harry and I are fine." He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, "I didn't realize you cared so much…thanks."

She snorted. Her eyes caught sight of the badge on his chest and she smirked, "geez. Who did you have to bribe to get that honor?"

He peered down at the head boy badge and had to silently agree with her. He had been shocked when it tumbled out of his letter and his dad promptly started to crack jokes about how Aries was turning into a rule follower.

He looked around the platform, "speaking of Harry…have you seen him yet?"

She shook her head. "No…you're the first one I've found."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm going to see the family…I'll have to make a stop at the head's carriage so I'll be late in joining you."

She nodded and he weaved through the crowd to find his family. When he got there, Marlene hugged him tight. "Ohh…I can't believe it's your last year and your head boy." She kissed him on the cheek and whispered as she did every year since they started, "make sure to watch out for Elara and Jude." He nodded, giving his mother one last kiss and hug.

At that moment he finally spotted the Potter's coming over, Harry trailing a little behind. He didn't appear to be too happy and as soon as they reached the Black's, Aries saw Harry slip away. He noticed that Alex did as well, leaving only him and Jamie, who he ignored.

He smiled at Lily and gladly accepted the hug. He might have been seventeen but he still cherished hugs from Lily, probably due to the fact that in his old reality he had never known his mum.

"Have a good year." She bent down to whisper in his ear, "thank you." Aries didn't have to be smart to know what she was talking about. He squeezed her hard, letting her know that he got the message.

The train was starting to whistle, so he finished saying his goodbyes and did his customary jump onto the moving train. The men smiled, while the women shook their heads, he always seemed to be the last person on the platform so he always ended jumping like a hobo onto the train.

Aries quickly made his way to the first compartment where the other's would be gathered. He wondered who the head girl was, he hoped it wasn't Hermi-

"You're late." She slapped him on the head.

"Ow! Mione! I had to say goodbye."

She glared at him and crossed her arms. He rolled his eyes. He could already imagine how the year would turn out. He got slapped again, "what was that for?"

She smirked. "Please Aries, I know what you were thinking." She turned away and called the meeting to attention, and Aries let her do all the talking. The meeting seemed to take ages and when they were finally able to join their friends in their compartment, Aries was tired.

He plopped down next to Blaise and laid his head on his shoulders and intended to go to sleep when the door was slammed open to revel Alex Potter and his goons. Aries sighed, "what do you want Alex?"

Alex sneered. "Just came by to see if you were excited for tonight."

Aries knew what he was talking about but it seemed the others didn't so Harry asked, "what do you mean?"

Alex shot a look that clearly said what he thought of his brother, he clearly still wasn't over the quidditch game from his birthday. "You don't know? Why of course you don't…your not important."

Harry clenched his fists at his side. Aries was about to get up and do something nasty when Harry shook his head. Aries waited. Harry got up and faced his brother, "I may not be important…but at least I'm more intelligent then you'll ever be." He raised his wand, "ventus!" A shot of air burst from his wand and sent the three boys through the door so hard that Aries was sure he heard a crack from somewhere.

Harry sat back down with a smirk. Aries nodded approvingly, "way to go Harry."

Hermione was outraged. "Aries! You're head boy!"

Blaise looked at Hermione as if she was crazy, "come on Mione…it was Alex Potter."

Hermione bit her lip. "Fine." She sat down and Harry shook his head and drew her into a conversation about runes and soon the incident was forgotten.

"What do you think Alex was talking about?" Daphne turned to the boys and waited for some kind of explanation.

Blaise shrugged his shoulder, "I'm not sure. Malfoy was bragging about something as well all summer."

Harry shook his head, "like I would know, my family hasn't told me anything since I was little."

Aries was quiet, and didn't answer which caused Hermione to narrow her eyes as she pondered him. Aries inwardly flinched, she was smarter then she knew and was probably guessing that he had some knowledge of what was going to happen.

Aries was about to comment on her staring when the door was flung open to admit an upset Elara. She flung herself into the seat next to Aries and threw her arms around him. "What's wrong?" He asked in a worried tone.

She looked up, "I went to find Jamie, and she said something…something mean and then the rest of her friends joined in" she wiped her face, "they made fun of me."

Aries was in disbelief. He couldn't believe this. Even though Aries was still only friends with Harry, Jamie and Elara were still friends and for Jamie to do this…he needed to find out. He stood up, joined by Harry and Blaise, "stay here with the girls." She nodded and moved to sit by Daphne and Hermione.

Aries strode out from the compartment, like a predator stalking his prey. He found the compartment, and opened the door to hear laughter coming from inside.

"Did you see the look on her face?" This came from one of Jamie's other best friends, Andy Phillips.

"I know…merlin, she trails after you like a sad puppy," laughed Ginny Weasley.

Jamie looked smug, "she's getting to be so annoying."

"And what exactly do you mean Mrs. Potter?" Aries broke in an icy voice. All three flinched at his voice before turning to the door. Aries briefly saw something like remorse flicker across Jamie's face before she hid it behind her mask.

Aries strode forward, "You've already lost one friend. Are you certain you can stand losing another." They both knew what he was referring to. That day in Aries's first year, they had never clicked again and he knew that Jamie missed him, but she needed to learn. "I'm warning you Jamie…don't mess with Elara."

Jamie was about to reply when a voice came from behind, "Where's Elara?"

Aries turned to see Jude Snape standing there, looking confused. "Ms. Potter here said something that upset her, and caused her to come find me."

Jude narrowed his eyes at his cousin, "Jamie…you're so stupid sometimes." That said he turned around and left, intending to find Elara. At a nod from Aries, Blaise and Harry followed to show him their compartment.

Aries turned his attention back to Jamie, who hesitantly reached up a hand, "Aries…I…"

He glared at her and promptly turned away, ignoring the rest of Jamie's sentence.

He stopped for a few minutes to talk with some more of his friends before making his way back to his compartment, just in time to for when he got back it was time to change into their school robes.

They said goodbye to Elara and Jude who had run off to ride with their friends and made their way to the school carriages. Once they were in the Great Hall, Aries smiled over at Elara who was sitting next to Regulas and Teddy. She was going into her third year and was a Slytherin. Hermione steered off to sit with her fellow Gryffindors as did Blaise and Daphne. Aries and Harry made their way over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down next to Jude. Aries gave his cousin a smile and waited for the sorting. Then it was time for dinner, and what a feast it was, but all too soon it was over and Dumbledore got up to make his announcements.

"Good evening everyone. I'm sorry to say that the inter-quidditch house tournament will not be taking place this year." Aries tried not show his disappointment, while others were not so successful. "This is due to a event that will be taking place throughout the year that will require the teachers undivided attention…the tri-wizard tournament will be taking place this year."

Harry bit his lip at the announcement, not quite sure what to make of it while Dumbledore continued. Aries noticed, "don't worry Ry." Harry looked over at his brother in all but blood, Aries knew something, Harry was sure of it. However, he only shrugged. He would trust him, Aries had saved his life too many times already.

* * *

 **It's the start of the final year! Stay tuned...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! Enjoy this new chapter and please remember that reviews make my day even if they're bad. Also, Fleur's sister is taking her place.**

* * *

Dumbledore sat in his office pondering what had gone wrong. His mind drifted to a topic that was never far from his mind.

The Potter twins.

After that night, he had declared Alex as the boy-who-lived and had told Lily and James his thoughts on what he thought had happened. He'd also told them that there were deep magic signals interfering with Harry's core and that he wasn't sure how he would turn out. The Potter's worried for their oldest son, quickly turned to wizard medicine, which caused them to start treating Harry as a fragile person which then caused friction between the family. While they still cared for Harry, they slowly turned their attention to Alex, and when she came along, Jamie. Harry was shut to the side, treated as a weakling, hidden away from the public eye.

That was until Aries Black had come along. The boy had quickly become a thorn in Dumbledore's side. With the Black family name and magic it would be seen that the boy would in turn be a powerful asset when the time came. However, instead of being friends with Alex, he had been drawn more to Harry, and was now more loyal to Harry rather then Alex.

Harry was now a mystery to Albus. The boy had grown into a delightful young man who was not only good looking, but smart as well. Along with Aries, Harry was the top student in the school, receiving outstandings on everything. He was also a qudditch star and was a very popular and well liked. Alex on the other hand, had barely managed to scrape by with a few owls, and only seemed to be friends with a few select people. What's more is that Albus could feel the power radiating off of Harry, and compared to Alex's it was much more intimidating.

Albus closed his eyes, and prayed that if what he was thinking was true, then there would be a way to fix his mistake…or they were all doomed.

* * *

Aries bit his lip nervously, as he waited for his friends to show up. It was a few days after school had started and he had decided to tell them the whole truth. It was high time they knew. He was waiting in their favorite room and it had molded itself to look like he was looking out a normal tower at Hogwarts. He stared up at the moon and even though he knew it wasn't real he still felt the peace he always felt at looking up at the moon.

The door opened and someone entered. He didn't have to be a genius to know that it was Harry. Harry was always first and he would always know those quiet steps.

"Hey Harry." He didn't even turn around.

Harry came to stand next to him and regarded his best friend with a quiet air. When Aries had told everyone that he had something to say and to meet him at their room later that evening, Harry had known he was going to tell them something important.

Before Harry could open his mouth the door opened once more and in walked the rest of their small gang. No one said anything, they just stared at Aries.

Aries took a deep breath and turned around. He looked down at the ground, "By now, you're probably wondering about me…"

Harry inwardly snorted. That was true, he had been wondering ever since he had met Aries.

"Well to tell the truth…I'm actually from a different time…a different reality."

Hermione gasped. "That's not possible."

Aries gave a grim laugh. "I assure you it is." He looked up at the moon, "you see…in my world, I was the boy-who-lived and it was terrible. My parents died when I was one and I was raised by my aunt. I never had a great childhood and didn't even know I was a wizard until my eleventh birthday." Aries took a breath and the rest of his story came tumbling out. When he finished the room was quiet.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Aries. "You still haven't told us why you were thrown into this world."

Aries shifted his eyes towards Harry, who took a step back. "I told you I collected the Hallows and became the Master of Death, well after the final battle, I was visited by Death and he told me something horrible." He turned his eyes to the ground again, "the Harry Potter of this world went on to become the worst dark lord even more dark then Voldemort…and it would damage my soul."

Harry didn't know what to think. He put his face in his hands, his thoughts running wild. Was this why his family wanted nothing to do with him? Even when he thought the worse, Aries went on.

"There's more…"

Daphne frowned. "What do you mean there's more?"

Aries sighed and closed his eyes. "What do you know of Horcruxes?"

Both Daphne and Blaise paled. "Horcruxes? That's dark magic."

Aries nodded. "True but to Voldemort it meant immorality. He created seven…"

He was cut off by a scream from Hermione. "Seven! That's-"

"He certainly didn't mean to make seven but the night of that Halloween," Harry gave a gasp and snapped his head up to look at Aries. "That night, his body was already at the breaking point and when your grandmother tried to protect you and Alex, it worked old magic and Voldemort couldn't take it. The pure love destroyed him."

Aries glanced at Harry. "Have you ever wondered about that scar on your forehead?"

Harry gave a jerky nod and reached up to absently touch it. "That's where the curse hit you…and unfortunately part of Voldemort's soul flew into you…that's why your family treats you the way they do…they're afraid of what that piece of Voldemort will do."

Harry closed his eyes and hugged himself. He…he had always known something was wrong with him and this was it. His family thought he was dark…his thoughts were cut off when Aries wrapped his arms around him. "But that's not true. I know that you are one of the purest soul's I've ever met."

Harry looked up at Aries, "really?"

Aries smiled. "I do…and I know how to beat Voldemort." He looked around at his friends, "it will be dangerous and I know I'm asking a lot but-"

Blaise cut him off. "We're with you. You might have come from a different reality but you're here now and that's what matters." He clapped Aries and Harry both on the shoulder.

Daphne smiled as well. "That's true. You're special to us Aries." She smiled at Harry, "and Harry is just as important." She moved to hug Harry, "the man I fell in love with is strong and brave…never let your family tell you otherwise."

It was Hermione's turn. She smiled as well and moved to join the hug, "Daph is right. We're friends and we stick together."

Aries could barely swallow past the lump in his throat. "Thanks guys." He peered at Harry, "I'm sorry for keeping this from you."

Harry shook his head, "it's fine. You've been the best part of my life…I don't regret meeting you. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably still be the timid boy you first met. I love you."

Aries pulled Harry to him and Harry wrapped his arms around Aries, "same here. You're the best brother I could have asked for."

Hermione grew serious. "But that means that you know what the other ones are?"

Aries nodded. "I've already found two…there was a locket of Slytherin's and Ravenclaw's diadem."

Hermione gasped. "You found Ravenclaw's diadem? I thought it was lost ages ago."

Aries smirked. "It was…until it was found." He didn't say anything more and Hermione didn't catch the joke, so he went on. "The other ones that I know of are a ring, an old journal, Hufflepuff's cup, and his snake."

Blaise scratched his chin, "how do you even destroy a horcrux?"

Aries shrugged, "you can destroy one with fiendfire or basilisk venom."

Daphne snorted. "Great. The only way to get rid of the things is two things that are just as dark. What do we do?"

Aries smirked. "Well, lucky for you, I happen to know a basilisk who would be very willing to give us some venom."

Harry coughed. "Did you just say that you know a basilisk?"

Aries grinned, "yeah…he lives in Hogwarts. His name is Godric." Silence met this declaration. He sighed, "anyway…I'll have Kretcher bring me the two from home and we can work on destroying those…hopefully by the end of the year, we can defeat Voldemort once and for all."

He glanced at Harry, "this is what you've been working for…to save your family."

Harry clenched his fists and his eyes hardened with determination. He gave Aries a brief nod, "I'll be ready."

Aries sighed. "Then, I'll call Kretcher." He took a deep breath, "Kretcher!"

With a pop the elf appeared in front of him and bowed. "What does young master wish for?"

"Can you bring me those two objects?"

Kretcher bowed and popped out. It was only a few minutes until he returned carrying two objects. Harry sucked in a breath. He could almost swear that they were calling to him, beckoning to him. He didn't even realize he was reaching out to touch them until Aries knocked his hand away. "Don't!" He said with a ragged voice. Still gripping Harry's hand, he glanced over at the girls, "stay here and watch them…we'll go get the venom."

He pulled Harry out of the room while Blaise followed. Once they were out of the room, Aries rounded on Harry. "What were you thinking!"

Harry stepped back and shook his head, "I don't know what came over me…I'm sorry."

Aries rubbed his forehead. "It's fine. Just know that because of what's in your soul, you will react more differently then others." His eye's met Harry's, "if you're worried…I promise I will always be there to make sure you stay on the right path."

Harry slowly nodded. Blaise put his arms on his hips, "so…where is this great creature?"

Aries smirked and turned around, "come on, it's this way." He led them to the bathroom on the second floor and was about to enter when he noticed the two behind him had stopped. He turned around to stare at them, "what's the problem?"

Blaise looked at Aries like he was crazy, "you do know that's a girl's bathroom…"

Aries raised an eyebrow. "So?" He shrugged, "if you don't want to enter then you'll never meet Godric." He returned around and entered the bathroom and making his way very quietly to the tap whispered, "open."

He heard both Blaise and Harry gasp. He grinned and hopped down, sliding down to the ground. A minute later Harry fell down beside him followed by Blaise. Blaise grimaced, "ugh…where are we? Beneath the lake?"

Harry nodded. "Most likely." He peered at Aries, "you're taking us to the Chamber of Secrets, aren't you?"

Aries merely held up his finger to his lips, suggesting that what Harry was saying was true. He led them to another door, "ok…once we enter here you're going to have to close your eyes until I say it's okay."

" _Open_." He hissed. The door slowly cranked open and for the first time Harry and Blaise got a glimpse of the fabled Chamber of Secrets. "I just realized," Blaise whispered to Aries, "what are you going to put the venom on?"

Aries grinned. "I've got a plan." He motioned for them to close their eyes and once he was sure they were closed he yelled, " _Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four._ _"_

Harry gripped Blaise's arms and Blaise gripped right back as they both heard something drop to the ground.

" _Ariessss. You finally bring your friendssss to ssssseee me._ _"_

Aries smiled, " _I'_ _m sssssorry it took ssssoo long for me to bring them to you, but I_ _'_ _m afraid that it_ _'_ _ssss time._ _"_

Godric nodded his head. " _Very well. You may tell them to open their eyesssss for I have clossssed my inner eyelid._ _"_

Aries glanced over his shoulder, "Godric says you can open your eyes."

Harry took a deep breath and gathering his courage slowly opened his eyes to see a majestic rich emerald green snake before him. "Aries…he's so beautiful."

Aries laughed and translated it to Godric. He glanced at Harry, "Godric says thank you," he leaned his ear to Godric and frowned. He glanced at Harry, "he also says that you smell like…Godric Gryffindor."

Harry frowned. "What?"

Aries waved him closer, "Godric says to come closer." Harry slowly made his way to where Aries was standing next to the snake's head. Without warning the snake moved it's head and Harry stood still as it seemed to sniff him. It hissed something and Aries shook his head and hissed something back at the snake. "Have you ever been to Gringotts?"

Harry shook his head. Aries frowned, "Godric thinks that you should go have an inheritance test done." He locked eyes with Harry, "he's sure that you are of the bloodline of Gryffindor."

Blaise glowered. "But…Lord Potter made Alex the heir…wouldn't that mean that Alex would assume all the seats from the Potter clan?"

Aries shrugged and hissed something to Godric before gazing at them both. "Godric said that when Godric passed away he made it so that only one worthy of being his heir would be his heir regardless of age. Since he senses Gryffindor in you, he is sure that you are the long awaited heir and can lay claim to his legacy."

Aries sighed. "We'll have to put it on our list of things to do this year…" he turned to Godric and asked for some venom. Blaise conjured a vile and pushed it into his hands and he caught the venom and thanked the snake. Blaise and Harry did the same and even went as far as petting the snake on the head, who preened under their tender ministrations.

They quickly made their way back to the room where the girls were waiting. They stood up at their entrance and Hermione bit her lip, "did you get it?"

Aries grinned and held up the vile. "Piece of cake."

Blaise snorted. "Well genius…back to my first question, how are you going to apply it to the horcruxes?"

Aries smirked. "Simple." He snapped his fingers and out of nowhere a sword appeared. Hermione gasped as she recognized it, "that's the sword of Gryffindor. How did you get that?"

Aries opened the vile and slowly poured the venom on the sword. "I stole it."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, "what did you say?"

Aries shrugged, "Harry and Blaise helped." "Hey!" Blaise exclaimed as he took a step back as Hermione turned her glare on him, "when did you steal this?"

Harry coughed and laughed. "Sometime in our fifth year, I believe." He smiled innocently at her, "Alex didn't deserve it."

Daphne rolled her eyes. Figures. "I think the question is where did you steal it from?"

Blaise smirked. "Dumbledore's office." Both Hermione and Daphne looked incredulous and Hermione raised her hand to tell the boys exactly what she thought when Aries sighed. "What's done is done." He handed the sword to Harry who took it carefully, "I think you should be the one." He picked up the locket and locked eyes with Harry. "Just know…it will put up a fight." He nodded his head at the others, "stay back."

As they moved back, he gazed at the locket and hissed, " _open_."

The locket opened with a scream. Hermione and Daphne covered their mouths with surprise. Harry gripped the sword hard as the smoke began to speak, "Harry, Harry Potter. I know what lies in your heart…join me and you could be great." His resolve wavered…it did make sense…why should he save a family that didn't want him?

Aries frowned. "Don't listen to it Harry! Remember there are others who love you." For a minute he was afraid he had failed but then Harry brought the sword down with a yell. There was a painful scream as what was living in the locket died. Aries took a look at Harry who was kneeling on the ground, he nodded his head at Daphne who ran to Harry.

She gently took him in her arms. She could feel him shaking. "That's right. Harry…I love you and have always loved you." She lifted his face so that their eyes could meet, "one day…we're going to be married and you'll have a whole new family. One that will love and support you unconditionally."

Aries sighed. It looked like he would have to take care of the diadem. He picked up the sword from the ground and patted Harry on the head, "you did good Harry. I'll take care of the other one." He picked the diadem off the floor and narrowed his eyes at it before he threw it in the air. With a yell he brought down the sword and it connected at just the right moment because everyone heard a yell as the soul piece died.

Blaise whistled. He came up behind Aries and wrapped his arms around his waist. "Well that was hot." Aries blushed. "I want you so much right now…" Blaise kissed Aries on the neck and if even possible he felt his face grow even redder.

Hermione coughed and Aries jumped away from Blaise. She sighed. "It's late. We should head to bed."

Aries nodded. He snapped his fingers and the sword was gone. He looked down at Harry who still hadn't moved and made to help him up but was stopped by Harry. "I want to stay here…with Daphne."

Aries closed his eyes and nodded. The room changed to a bedroom and he left with Hermione and Blaise. They were walking towards the Gryffindor common room and just before they reached it, both Blaise and Aries kissed her on the cheek, "be careful around the copper trio."

Hermione scowled and vanished into the common room. Aries turned to Blaise, "damn Harry. I wanted to stay there as well."

Blaise smirked and pushed Aries against the wall. "Hmm. I think that something else can be arranged…if you don't mind coming into Slytherin territory."

Aries snorted. "Slytherin. What's wrong with Ravenclaw?"

Blaise just grinned and with one last kiss was gone. Aries stuck his tongue out and made his way back to his room. When he entered the common room he gave a soft smile as his eyes caught sight of Jude sleeping on the couch. His homework and his books were spread around him and his mouth was open as his quill dangled in his hand. He picked up the boy and to his surprise Jude opened his eyes, "oh Aries…I was waiting for you…I had a question."

Aries smiled. "Ask me in the morning. I think that it's time for you to be in bed."

Jude couldn't argue and just allowed Aries to carry him to his bed. Aries tucked in the boy and kissed him on the forehead before finally making it back to his room. He fell back on his bed and was asleep in an instant.

* * *

It was a few weeks later, at Halloween. It had been sometime since Aries had played a prank and while Aries couldn't stand most of the Weasley's the twins still made him laugh so Aries was actually thinking of collaborating with them at some point. However it was after classes and along with the others and the rest of the school he was now standing outside, waiting for the other two schools to appear. Hermione stood on her toes trying to see if she could see where they would come from. "This is so exciting!" She clapped her hands together, "I mean…I've always wanted to meet students from other schools."

Aries laughed, "Mione…students are students."

She pouted. "Still…I'd like to learn about how different the curriculum is for each school."

Daphne nodded, "I agree. I actually thought about going to Beauxbatons, but changed my mind at the last minute."

All three boys gazed at her in shock. "No…really?" Daphne giggled. She put a hand on Harry's face, "of course…if I had gone there I wouldn't have been able to go to school with you."

Harry grinned, and took her hand giving it a chaste kiss. "My lady…I'm pleased that you find my company pleasant to be around."

Blaise and Aries rolled their eyes at the two. Harry was about to retort when there was a cry of surprise. They looked and saw something coming down from the sky. The closer it got the clearer they could see, that it was a big carriage pulled by some kind of winged horses. It set down on the ground and the door opened to revel none other then Madame Maxine.

Dumbledore moved forward to greet her, "my dear Madame Maxine. I trust your journey wasn't too bad."

She extended a hand, "ahh…Dumbleydore. The journey was fine." She waved her other hand at the door to the carriage, "my students." The door opened and out poured a number of students, mainly females that exited behind her. Dumbledore smiled, "very nice, if you would be so kind as to head over to the great hall." She nodded, and with her students started to walk forward, though she stopped and turned, "I trust you know what my steeds require."

Dumbledore nodded. "I will have our gamekeeper take care of them personally."

With that said, she and her students made their way into the front doors. Dumbledore turned towards the lake and waited patiently. Not to long before the students of Hogwarts saw a mast that was followed by the rest of the ship. A plank was lowered and the students of Drumstrang made their appearance. Dumbledore strode forward again, "Kakaroff…how nice of you to join us."

The man, Kakaroff just frowned, and led his students past Dumbledore and made way to the great hall. Dumbledore just smiled and followed waving a hand at the teachers and students of Hogwarts to come back inside.

When Aries made it into the great hall, he saw that the students from Drumstrang had taken seats at the Slytherin table while the students from Beauxbatons were sitting at the Ravenclaw table. He headed for a spot at the Ravenclaw table and just as Harry was about to sit beside him, someone beat him to it.

"I couldn't help but notice that you seem…extremely delicious." The voice purred in his ear. He choked on his drink. He gazed at the one and only Gabby Delacour who was here in all her glory.

Aries kept his eyes on her's, "how do you do Gabby."

Gabby smiled and kissed Aries on the cheek. "I wasn't sure if you remembered me…" she turned to Harry and did the same causing Harry to blush. Aries smiled at the girl, "how's your sister?"

Gabby grinned. "Good. She's got a job at Gringotts and is dating the oldest Weasley."

Aries nodded. He had heard somewhere that Bill was still dating Fleur and it made him happy. They were the perfect couple back in his old world and they just were one of those couples who seemed to be made for each other. They exchanged a few more words until Gabby left to rejoin her friends. Terry Boot hissed to Aries, "how to do you know her?"

Harry grinned. Aries rolled his eyes, "we met her family when we vacationed in Paris and we've been friends ever since."

At long last dinner and dessert were over and Dumbledore got up to make his big announcement. "As you all know the tri-wizard tournament is being held here this year and it will be up to a partial judge to pick the representatives from each school…" he paused and the doors opened, allowing Filch to run in carrying some box that he set in front of Dumbledore. He tapped it with his wand and it opened to revel the shining goblet of fire. "Due to the dangerous nature we have decided to place an age line, only those seventeen and above will be able to place their names in the goblet. You will have a week until we draw the names…good night."

The week passed with classes and such and that Friday everyone waited patiently to see who would be the champions. Harry leaned over to whisper in Daphne's ear, "who do you think will be chosen?"

She pursed her lips together. "hmm…I don't know…I just hope that Hogwarts will win."

Harry started to reply but shut his mouth when Dumbledore got up. The goblet changed from blue to red and a piece of parchment spat out. Dumbledore caught it, "the champion for Drumstrang will be…Maria Van Ryan." There was clapping and cheering from the Drumstrang lot as a serious girl got up and made her way over to Dumbledore, who guided her to a room off the side of the great hall. "The champion for Beauxbatons will be…Gabby Delacour." The pretty French girl who had come onto Aries at the Halloween dinner made her way up the path that Van Ryan had gone. It got quiet as everyone from Hogwarts waited to see who their champion would be, "and finally the champion for Hogwarts will be…" he paused and looked up with a curious expression, "will be…none other then Alexander Potter."

Well that was different. Aries shifted his eyes over to Alex. Alex had gone pale and didn't seem to be moving. Neville gave him a push and Alex stumbled up the long walkway.

Alex disappeared in the room and still the room remained silent. McGonagall had gotten up and had a pensive expression on her face, while Dumbledore seemed worried. His worries were soon forgotten as suddenly the fire flared again and almost automatic did Dumbledore catch the piece of parchment. "Harry Potter."

* * *

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	9. Chapter 9

**Hey Everyone! The chapters are going to be coming more frequently…so enjoy!**

* * *

Harry couldn't breathe. He was sure that something was wrong. There was no way that his name would come out of the goblet because he had never put it in. Aries pushed him forward, "go," Aries hissed at Harry.

Harry swallowed but got up and slowly made his way to the room doing his best to ignore the faces and whispers. When he opened the door, he didn't know what to say.

"You! What are you doing here?" Sneered Alex Potter.

Harry swallowed again and looked at the ground. He was saved from answering when suddenly the door opened and the professors entered the room. Dumbledore instantly grabbed Harry's arm and pushed him around until he was facing the old man.

"How did this happen Harry?"

Harry tried to form words, "I…I don't know…I didn't do this."

Dumbledore frowned and looked like he didn't believe Harry. "Did you ask Mr. Black to help you?"

Now it was Harry's turn to frown. "I would never use Aries like that! I'm telling you…I didn't do anything. I don't even want to be in this stupid competition."

His words had an instant effect. Alex looked murderous while both Gabby and Maria frowned their displeasure. Alex clenched his fists. His brother always had a way to ruin everything. Harry was smarter, more popular, and was magically more powerful, but this was Alex's last chance to show what he was made of.

"Albus…really…that would take powerful magic and no matter how good of a student Harry or Aries is, there would be no way that they could confund a powerful magical object like the goblet," spoke Professor McGonagall.

"Minvera is right, Albus, " Severus said quietly. "There is no way that Harry could have done this." He turned to gaze at Harry, "and no matter how much you don't want to be a part of this competition it is a magical contract and you have no choice."

"This is an outrage Dumbledore." Madame Maxine was furious. "Hogwarts can't have two champions…that was not in the rules. I demand to resubmit names so that everyone can have two champions."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not possible. The goblet has already gone out until the next tournament."

Madame Maxine pursed her lips and grabbing Gabby's hand, pulled her out of the room. Kakaroff followed until only Harry, Alex and the Hogwarts teachers were left.

Severus gazed at the Potter twins, "I think you should go." Harry didn't need to be told twice. He left as fast as he could. Alex hung back but at a shake of his head from Severus, he too left the room.

Harry left the meeting feeling slightly light headed. It was a magical contract so there was no way for either him or Alex to bow out of the competition without losing their magic.

He slumped against a wall and wanted to hit his head. He didn't want to take part in this stupid competition. Plus now Alex would only see this as another way that Harry was taking the limelight away from him.

"Scared, Harry?"

Harry tilted his head at the taunting voice. Alex was standing there with a smirk on his face.

Harry snorted. "Yeah right. Shouldn't that be my line?" He narrowed his eyes at Alex, "I saw you when your name was called…you didn't look so brave then…"

"Shut up!" Alex yelled. He whipped out his wand, "levicorpus!"

Harry was so shocked that he didn't manage to dodge in time and found himself being dragged upwards by his feet. His wand fell out of his hands and rolled somewhere in the darkness.

Alex smirked. "That should teach you."

Harry struggled. "Alex…let me down!"

Alex looked smug. "No. I think you should stay there." He turned away, "maybe your lover will come and look for you." He laughed all the way down the hall.

Harry sniffed and could feel the tears starting to swell in his eyes. He was seventeen. He shouldn't be falling for his brother's tricks. His head fell back down, his face getting red as the blood rushed to his face. He wondered if he should use silent magic to get himself down when he heard a voice.

"Did Alex do this?"

Harry looked up to see his Aunt Juliet. She had a expression of concern on her face as she came over to help Harry. When Harry didn't say anything, she tapped his chin so that his eyes met hers, "don't be shy Harry…did Alex do this?"

Harry nodded.

Juliet sighed. James and Lily would really need to deal with Alex's attitude. It was becoming rather…unbecoming. She slung an arm around his shoulders, "come on. Let's go have some tea."

Harry tried to get away but her arm was amazingly strong for someone so petite so he had no choice but to head to the dungeons with his aunt.

"Ah Juliet, your finally back…" Severus's voice trailed off as he caught sight of Harry. He had just seen Harry and his brother leaving so he immediately frowned, "what happened?"

Juliet steered Harry into a chair and summoned a house-elf to get tea before turning to Severus, "I found Harry dangling upside down in the hallway."

She didn't say who had cast the spell, Severus knew that only one person would cast it. He sighed. "I will speak to Lily."

Harry shook his head. "NO!"

Both adults turned to look at him. He blushed but went on, "please don't tell mum and dad…this is something that I want to deal with this on my own."

Severus looked up towards the ceiling. Why were Potter's always cursed with such stubbornness? Harry moved to leave when his shirt fell partly open, reveling something that caught Severus's eyes.

"What is that?" He drawled out.

Harry froze and his eyes dropped to his drooping shirt. Curses! Severus had seen the tattoo. He hastily pulled up his shirt, "nothing Uncle Sev…just a spot of dirt…I've got to go," and was out the door faster then you could say hippogriff.

Severus narrowed his eyes at the retreating figure. That had been a lie. There was something about Harry that seemed…he shook his head. He would deal with it later, right now he just wanted to hold his wife and not think.

* * *

Aries was sitting quietly in the common room putting on the finishing touches to a potions essay when Harry finally came back. He looked up as Harry came and sat next to him. He took one look at Harry's face and knew that something had happened, "what happened?"

Harry sighed. He closed his eyes and laid his head on Aries shoulder, "it's just Alex being a dick."

Aries inwardly bristled. "What did he do?"

Harry sat up. "He just…used our father's favorite trick and left me there. Aunt Juliet found me."

Aries frowned. Harry was talking about Levicorpus. Alex needed to be brought down a peg or too, not even Malfoy was this evil. Harry must have sensed where his thoughts were going, he placed a hand on Aries arm, "Aries…I know that you care but let me take care of my brother."

Aries glared at Harry but the boy didn't back down. He sighed. "Fine, but you know where to find me if you need anything."

Harry smiled at his best friend. "Aries…thanks." He got up and headed up to the dorm room to fall asleep. Aries watched him go, leaning back in his chair. The common room was pretty empty so he decided to cash in on the night and headed back to the Head's rooms and fell into bed.

It was around mid-night when someone poked Aries. He rolled to the side and groggily tried to see who it was. "Harry?"

Harry quietly crawled into Aries's bed and pulled the curtains closed casting silencing charms. Aries was worried. Knowing what he had gone through, something had probably caused Harry to have a nightmare. He simply waited for Harry to speak.

Harry laid down next to Aries in a way that they hadn't done since they were children. "Do you remember what I told you about my first year?"

Aries frowned. It had taken some time but Harry had eventually told Aries what Voldemort had said to him down in the dungeons. Aries nodded. Harry bit his lip, "ever since we destroyed those…things, in my dreams he speaks to me and I take his hand and…when he orders me to do stuff…I like it."

Harry was scared. That was plain to see. Aries wrapped his arms around his brother in everything but blood, "Harry…I promise I won't let you be swayed to the dark." He placed his forehead against Harry's, "I'm always here for you."

Harry nodded. Aries glanced at him, "are you going to be okay to sleep on your own or do you want to stay here?" Harry sighed, "stay here." Aries smiled and the two boys were soon fast asleep.

They were in potions when there was a knock on the door. Snape opened it and everyone could hear, "um…sir…Harry is needed upstairs."

Snape rolled his eyes but nodded at Harry, who gathered his belongings and left the classroom. He looked down at the first year who shifted from side to side. "You're needed in the old classroom on the third floor."

Harry shrugged it off and slowly made his way to the third floor. When he opened the door to the classroom he saw the other champions including his brother and the old man Ollivander along with the judges.

Dumbledore waved him in, "come in Harry…this is just the weighing of the wands to make sure that they are in tip-top shape."

Harry quickly moved away from the old man and it was clear that they had been waiting for him because as soon as he entered it started. Ollivander gestured towards the girl from Drumstrang who handed him her wand. He inspected it, "hmm…olive with the core of…a dragon heartstring?"

She nodded.

Ollivander gave the wand a swish and pronounced it good to go. Ollivander then motioned to Gabby who handed over her wand. "holly…and my…is this hair from a veela?"

Gabby nodded. "My grandmother's."

Ollivander nodded. "Don't use them myself but to each their own." He waved the wand and silver sparks came out. He then gestured for Alex's wand. "Ah. One of my creations…ash with the core of unicorn tail."

Alex nodded. Ollivander nodded his head and made wine come out of the wand then it was Harry's turn. Harry quietly handed over his wand to the old man. Ollivander was quiet, "hmm…holly and phoenix feather…" he didn't say anything else but shot gold sparks and pronounced his wand good as well.

Once that was done Dumbledore turned to the four champions, "the first task will take place on November 24…it is designed to test your courage. Until then."

Dumbledore swept out of the room seeming to take the adults with him. Harry snuck a glance at Alex, who scowled and left the room.

"He's still the same as ever."

Harry turned to glance at Gabby. "Yeah," Harry cocked his head with a sad smile, "but he's family."

Gabby sighed. "Why do you still care? Aries told me what your family thinks of you."

Harry closed his eyes and shook his head. "No matter how much my family treats me…I will always love them. I don't ask you to understand." He walked out. What he had told Gabby was true. He still had hopes that his family would treat him the same way that others were treated and to see that dream come true…he would protect them from the shadows.

* * *

"Aries? Can I talk to you?"

The question came as Aries was on his way to Runes. He glanced over to see Regulas and Teddy both with serious expressions on their faces. He waved his friends off and steered the two younger boys into an empty classroom.

He sat down on the edge of the desk, "what's up?"

Regulas bit his lip. "Have you talked to Elara any?"

Aries frowned. With everything that had been going on, he was ashamed to say that no…he hadn't spoken to Elara. 'What's wrong with Elara?"

Regulas shared a glance with Teddy, "we think something is wrong. She's been looking pale and when I tried to speak with her, she brushed me off."

Aries scowled. "Are you sure she's not getting sick?"

Teddy shook his head. "That's just it. We thought that too but we dragged her to Aunt Juliet and she said that Elara was fine, just stressed."

Aries paused. It almost sounded like…but that shouldn't have been possible. "I'll look in to it. Have you owled mum and dad?"

Regulas shook his head. "No, I wanted to talk to you first."

Aries nodded then ruffled the two boys hair, "leave Elara to me. Now as head boy it's my duty to tell you to get to class."

Regulas and Teddy left, leaving Aries alone with his thoughts. It sounded like…his eyes widened. The journal! That had to be it, but how had Elara gotten her hands on it?

He slipped in beside Harry and opened his textbook. Harry slid over a piece of parchment that read, _what did Reggie and Teddy want?_ Aries took out his quill and wrote a response then slid the parchment back over to Harry, _something is wrong with Elara. I think she has a horcrux._ Harry frowned. _The journal?_ Aries just nodded.

"Black! Potter! I know you two are the best students in your class but that does not give you permission to ignore me when I teach."

Both Aries and Harry jumped as Professor Babbling narrowed her eyes at the two. Aries smiled, "terribly sorry professor, won't happen again."

Professor Babbling didn't say anything but after a minute turned back around. Aries could see his friends roll their eyes as he got out of trouble due to his charm. After Runes was over, Aries whispered in Blaise's ear, "tonight…can I come to you?"

Blaise's eye's widened but he nodded with a grin. "Of course. Anything for you." Aries smiled and kissed Blaise on the cheek before running off to do who knew what.

Later that evening found Aries waiting outside the Slytherin entrance for Blaise to open the door.

"You're late."

Blaise rolled his eyes and just moved so that Aries could enter the room. By now Blaise knew Aries enough not to ask why he wanted to come to the Slytherin common room and sure enough as soon as Aries entered, his eyes scanned the room until they landed on Elara. Aries winked at Blaise and then walked over to his sister.

She was so absorbed in what she was doing that she didn't even see Aries until he had plopped down on her shoulder. "What are you so focused on?"

Elara jumped. "Aries! What are you doing here?"

Aries grinned, sliding in to sit next to his sister on the couch. He didn't say anything but peered into her eyes, "you seem pale? Are you alright?"

Elara's eyes narrowed. "Did Reggie put you up to this?"

Aries narrowed his own eyes. "Whoa there Elara…you don't need to get so angry."

Her lips tightened and she grabbed her stuff and without another word stalked off to her room. Aries frowned, now more sure then ever that Elara was in possession of the journal.

"What was up with Elara?" Blaise asked as he slid next to Aries.

Aries sighed. "I think that Elara has something that we need…" he trailed off as Blaise's eyes widened. "You mean…"

Aries nodded. He grinned at Blaise, "tonight…we steal a journal."

Blaise smirked and nibbled Aries ear. "Hmm…I like the way you think. Before that though, I've been having trouble with my charms homework…maybe you'd like to come back to my room and…"

Aries smirked and cut Blaise off by gently kissing the Italian on the mouth. Aries pulled back, "well what are we waiting for?"

Blaise grinned and before Aries could say anything, Blaise had pulled them into the seventh year dorms and locked the door with the strongest locking charm and pushed Aries on the bed, covering Aries body with his.

Sometime later, Aries opened his eyes. It had to be around midnight so now was the perfect time to get the journal. He slipped out from Blaise's arms and kissed Blaise on the cheek, "I'll be back."

Blaise mumbled something then turned over back to his pillow. Aries shook his head and tiptoed to the first year dorms. Aries smirked to himself as he waved his wand remembering something that Godric had told him and the door opened. Aries crept into the dorm and could spot his sister's hair laying around her head like a halo. He cast a silencing charm that would ensure that his sister wouldn't hear and wake.

He opened her trunk and shifted through her belongings. He started to get frantic when he didn't see the journal. He was sure it was here. Aries peered over at his sister again and his eyes caught sight of something sticking out from underneath her pillow.

There it was!

He sat down on the edge of his sister's bed and taking a calm deep breath slowly started to slide the journal out from underneath the pillow. His breath caught when his sister rolled over but he let out his breath when she didn't wake. With one final tug he was able to pull the journal free. Aries bent down and kissed his sister on the forehead, "be safe ma petite etoile."

He practically ran back to Blaise's bed as fast as he could. Blaise rolled over when Aries rolled into bed. "Did you get it?" He asked Aries in a cute sleepy kind of way.

Aries nodded and pulled out the journal. Blaise sucked in a breath and sat up, "you did it! Now what?"

Aries bit his lip, "we'll have to hide it here until we can get rid of it tonight."

* * *

In another part of the castle, one Alex Potter was staring out the widow at the moon. His thoughts were all over but mostly on one person, his brother, Harry Potter. Alex knew deep down that Harry was a good person but he was scared. All his life he had been in the spotlight, he had never known anything else. He could remember his father telling him that he needed to protect Harry but over the years he had slowly forgotten that promise. Now Alex was scared that people would find out the truth, something he had known ever since he was little.

Alex Potter wasn't the boy-who-lived…it was Harry.

* * *

 **More to come!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! I'm sorry to anyone who is unhappy with the slash, and you are entitled to your own opinion. That being said…this** _ **does**_ **have slash in it so be warned!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: HP and Co are owned by JK and always will be.**

* * *

"Remind me, why am I doing this again?"

Harry was nervously pacing back and forth, while Aries rolled his eyes. It was the morning of the first task and Harry had woken at some ungodly hour and jerked Aries awake so that he could vent.

Aries yawned and cast a tempus to see that it was only 7 in the morning. He wanted to get back to sleep. "Harry…you'll be fine." He flopped back on his bed, intending to go back to sleep but was stopped by Harry.

"Oh no Mr. Black…you're not going back to sleep that easily." Harry threw his pillow at Aries. "This is stupid…what's the point in this? What if I mess up?" Harry started to get more frantic and from the sounds in the dorm room the other guys were starting to wake and grumble at the noise.

Aries sighed. "Calm down Harry." When it didn't seem like Harry had heard him, Aries stood up and slapped Harry on the face. Harry's eye's grew wide then he frowned. "What was that for?"

"Because you're being a prat!" Aries growled. He patted Harry on the shoulder, "you can do this," he peered into Harry's eyes. "I know you can. Have faith in yourself."

Harry blinked then slowly nodded. "You're right." His shoulders slumped, "I was being stupid."

"Are you done yet?"

This came from Terry Boot who was sitting up in his bed rubbing his eyes. "Because if you are then I for one would like to get back to sleep-"

He was cut off when Harry sent another pillow at his face. "Shut it Terry!"

His muffled cry of "hey," was cut off by the other's laughter and the tension slowly left the room. However, Harry's nerves came back at breakfast. He could barely eat and his mind was just turning over different scenarios of what could happen and each one was worse then the last.

"Harry…you need to eat."

Harry gulped and glanced over at Daphne who was looking at Harry with worry in her eyes. She pushed a plate of toast and marmalade over to Harry, "at least eat this…"

Harry gave her a soft smile and a kiss on the cheek. "Sure thing Daph."

"All you need to do is relax. You know the magic so you should be fine." This came from Hermione on his other side.

Harry grinned and stood up, "you're right. I've got this in the bag." A slight commotion at the door had Harry glance up only to have him frown. It seemed that Dumbledore had called the parents for James and Lily were standing in the door next to one Alex Potter.

Daphne placed her hand on his arm, "just ignore them Harry."

Harry nodded, took a deep breath and left, not even bothering to stop and speak with his parents. Lily looked hurt and Harry almost stopped but at Alex's face, he clenched his fists and kept walking.

Aries sighed and got up. "It's time to do some damage control." He smiled at the girls, "tell that idiot of a boyfriend to come find me later." He winked at the two which made them both smile then he made his way over to the elder Potters. Alex scoffed and without saying goodbye made his way over to the table of the lions.

"Aunt Lily." He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "What are you doing here?"

Lily's smile was a little sad, "we came to speak with Dumbledore and wanted to see everyone…" her voice trailed off.

Aries smile froze. He knew that Harry wanted nothing more then a relationship with his parents but it was really Alex and Jamie who made it hard and of course that stupid headmaster who had meddled that stupid Halloween. Aries sighed and was about to reply when a voice cut him off.

"Don't you have your own parents? Stop hogging mine." Aries slowly turned to see Jamie Potter standing behind him with her arms crossed.

"Jamie!" Lily frowned.

Aries took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at the young girl. "It's fine Aunt Lily." He turned to leave, "I'll see you later. Its's sure to be one heck of a day."

Aries found Harry outside by the lake underneath the tree, staring unseeing at the unmoving water. "Hey."

Harry didn't say anything but Aries could see his shoulders drop. Aries plopped down next to Harry, "do you want me to hex his balls?"

Harry gave a brief smile. "Nah…we should leave him with at least his dignity." They could hear the sounds of the students heading towards the place where the first task would take place. Harry sighed and stood up. "I guess I should get going."

Aries stood up as well and patted Harry on the shoulder. "Good luck."

Harry waved his hand as he walked towards the tent where the other champions were meeting. Gabby gave him a smile so Harry went to stand next to her while the others ignored Harry.

Dumbledore waved the four champions around him and held a bag out. "The first task in determined to test your courage. In this bag you will find what you will be up against. Your task it to collect the golden egg."

He held out the bag to Maria, who cautiously slipped her hand in and pulled out a miniature Welshgreen dragon with the number 2 around it's neck. Alex was next and he pulled out a minature Swedish snotnose with the number 1. Gabby bit her lip and pulled out a Chinese fireball with the number 3 which left Harry to take the last one. He slowly put his hand in the bag and gripped the last dragon and pulled it out. In his hand was a Hungarian horntail with the number 4.

Dumbledore coughed. "Well that's that. The number around the neck is the order you will go in. Good luck." He left with the other judges leaving the four champions alone in the tent. Harry could hear the sounds of the crowd and couldn't help but feel slightly nervous as the first task started.

"Ladies and Gentleman. Welcome to the first task of the tri-wizard tournament. Without further ado, please welcome Alex Potter from Hogwarts."

Harry watched as Alex swallowed then stepped out of the tent onto the field. There was a roar and suddenly it was all to real to Harry that he was a part of something that could end his life.

Gabby seemed to sense what he was thinking and was sitting next to him in quiet companionship. It was only minutes but it seemed like hours when finally there was a roar from the crowd and, "Alex Potter has gotten the egg."

There was scrambling and then, "Next we have Maria Van Ryan from Drumstrang." To Harry it seemed to take longer and longer each time and he was unaware that Gabby had left for her turn until suddenly he heard his name, "finally Harry Potter from Hogwarts."

Harry gripped his wand and took a deep breath. He slowly walked out of the tent onto the field and had to shield his eyes at the brightness of the sun. His eyes landed on the golden yellow of the dragons and neither moved. The crowd grew silent as they watched what Harry would do.

Harry was about to move when he heard a voice inside his head. ' _I sense a great power in you little one._ _"_

Harry made no notice that the dragon had spoken. ' _I also sense that you and your friends undertake a dangerous quest_ _to ensure the safety of those you care for. But know…there will come a time when your friendship will be tested."_

Harry blinked at the dragon. Could the dragon read his mind? He could tell the crowd was getting antsy. Harry thought about what to do…should he attack the dragon or should he wait? His question was answered when suddenly the dragon moved aside, ' _because of your strong feelings of love I will allow you to gather the golden egg._ _"_

Harry didn't have to be told twice. He quickly moved forward and grabbed the egg and was leaving when the dragon spoke once more, ' _I hope we meet again one day._ _'_

Harry was slammed into reality. He could hear the screams of the crowd and could barely make out the judges giving him his score. He clutched the egg and quickly exited the arena.

When Harry got back to the tent, he found Aries waiting for him with a big smile on his face. "See…I knew you could do it."

Harry rolled his eyes. Aries smirked, "what did the dragon say to you?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, "what makes you think she was talking to me?"

Aries snorted. "Please…you never broke eye contact once with the dragon…in my research that's a clear sign that mind conversations are happening."

Harry was saved from replying when the tent flap opened and Harry watched silently as his family made their way over to where Alex was standing. To both Harry and Aries surprise, James made his way over to them with a sad smile. He nodded at Harry, "you did good."

Harry seemed shocked so Aries gave James a smile. "Hey Uncle James." Aries looked at Harry and nudged him. Harry gave a shake of his head and gave his dad a rare smile, "thanks dad."

James must have sensed someone staring at him because a look flickered across his face before he left to rejoin the group around Alex. Harry watched his father leave and sighed. It was clear that Alex had been the one glaring. "Come on Aries. Let's go find the others."

Harry turned away and headed towards the door so Aries simply followed. He didn't notice how both James and Lily's eyes followed the two and he never noticed how Jamie's eyes grew moist.

* * *

It was a few days later and Aries was in the head's common room, peering down at the journal. He could feel a type of dark energy pulsing from it and he knew that he needed to destroy it.

The door opened and Aries could hear Hermione's voice. "I don't believe this!"

Aries quickly hid the journal and glanced up at Hermione, "what happened Mione?"

Hermione came into the common room and sat down on the couch with a huff. "That stupid Weasley just tried to shove me in a broom closet-"

Aries growled. "What did that Weasel do?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Relax Aries. I left him in the infirmary with a itching hex."

Aries scowled. It was a well known fact that Ron Weasley had the hots for Hermione and no matter how often Aries, Harry or Blaise shot Weasley down, he still kept coming for more. Aries crossed his arms and muttered, "when I see that weasel, the infirmary will be the last-"

Hermione laughed and kissed Aries on the cheek. "You're so sweet Aries." She suddenly switched topics, "now let me see that thing your hiding."

Aries gulped and looked away. "I'm not hiding anything."

Hermione crossed her arms. "You can't fool me." She smirked, "Blaise already told me."

Aries frowned and brought out the journal grumbling under his breath. "Stupid Italian."

Hermione's eyes grew wide. "This is a horcrux?"

Aries closed his eyes and nodded. Hermione crossed her arms and leaned back, glaring at Aries. "When do you plan on destroying it?"

Aries shrugged his shoulders and decided to put the journal away back in his bag. "I'm not so sure. Probably during the holidays." He turned back to Hermione and inwardly smirked, "Mione…I've heard tell of this Yule Ball…" Hermione raised an eyebrow as Aries continued. "Would you do me the honors of being my date?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes, "what about Blaise?"

Aries laughed and placed his arm around her shoulders, "now come on…do you really think that Blaise and I would go together?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well considering the fact that you are dating and everyone knows it…then yes."

Aries winked and moved closer to whisper in her ear. "True, but I'd still rather enjoy the company of a beautiful woman at a ball than a stuffy man."

Hermione finally cracked a smile. "Fine. I'll go with you." She got up to head to her room, but first bent down to kiss Aries on the cheek, "thank you."

Aries watched her walk away. So, she figured out why he had asked her to the ball. Ronald Weasley didn't stand a chance.

The next morning at breakfast Aries was sitting down at the Ravenclaw table when Jude stormed in and angrily sat next to Aries. Aries calmly continued to eat his breakfast, his question, "did something happen" was the only indication that he knew Jude was there.

Jude pursed his lips taking a deep breath to calm down. "I don't know what to do Aries. Jamie is acting like a total dirtbag."

Aries inwardly sighed. He loved James and Lily but Alex and Jamie were trouble. "What did she do?"

Jude glanced sideways at Aries and sighed. "I overheard her friends talking about Elara to her and she didn't even say anything."

Aries narrowed his eyes. "What did she say about Elara?"

Jude bit his lip, not sure if he really should be talking to Aries about this but realized that he needed to finish what he started. "They were saying how Elara should grow up and not rely so much on her brothers and that it was shameful how she clung to you…" he wisely stopped at the look on Aries face.

Aries closed his eyes. "Was it Ginny?"

Jude swallowed. "Yes."

Aries suddenly grinned and got up from the table. "Tell anyone who asks that I'm in the library." Jude looked at Aries like he was mad as Aries ran out of the hall. Jude inwardly frowned wondering what he had started. He hoped his father never found out about this, that would be it's own nightmare.

* * *

The holidays had started and it was currently the day of the Yule ball. Daphne and Hermione were getting ready for the evening in Hermione's rooms. For the occasion Daphne was wearing a dark emerald green dress with an open back that hugged her figure like a glove. Hermione would be wearing a dark wine colored dress also with an open back but her dress also had slits going up the sides.

Daphne grinned when she saw the dresses. 'Those boys won't know what hit them." She pulled Hermione's out of the box, "you'll look gorgeous in this dress."

Hermione blushed. "I don't know…don't you think it's a little too reveling."

Daphne laughed and shook her head. "Na. This is going to be perfect." She set the dress down and went over to the mirror so that she could start doing her hair. "Are you going with Aries?"

Hermione sat down next to her and shook her head. "I was, but he said that something came up and that Blaise would be my date instead."

Daphne frowned. "I wonder. My friend, Tracy told me that she overheard Jamie and her friends making fun of Elara."

"What?" Hermione gasped.

Daphne nodded. "I would bet money that Aries decided to do something to get back at them. He's awfully protective of Elara."

While the girls were in Hermione's room, the boys were likewise in Aries room. Harry eyed his friend out of the corner of his eye, "Aries…are you sure about this?"

Aries scowled at Harry. "No one hurts my sister and gets away with it." He turned back to the mirror and looked himself in the mirror. He was wearing a classy black muggle tuxedo, he thought that robes were so old fashioned, with a black shirt. The only color came from his tie which was a rich dark blue that stood starkly out against the dark shirt.

Harry tried his best to glare at Blaise but the Italian simply shook his head. There was no way Aries would change his mind, he was that over protective of Elara. Harry sighed. "Just don't…hurt her."

Aries smirked at his two best friends, "now Harry…I'm hurt that you would think I would hurt a lady. Ginny will never know what's coming."

They met the girls in the common room. Harry let out a low whistle when Daphne appeared. His girlfriend had never looked so beautiful. Dressed in the dress he had chosen for her, she had let her long blond hair fall down her back in loose waves. She grinned and came to stand next to Harry, "you clean up well, Mr. Potter."

Harry smiled and kissed her on the cheek. Hermione was beautiful as well with her brown hair pulled back in a chic up-do and as she came to stand next to Blaise, Harry let out a another low whistle. Clearly anyone could see Hermione's tattoo, right in the middle of her back.

Blaise chuckled. "Well that looks sexy."

Hermione blushed and crossed her arms. "I'm not ashamed of it."

Blaise grinned and kissed her on the cheek. "Well, maybe this will be proof enough that you're off limits."

Hermione's blush grew even deeper until Daphne cleared the air. "Where is Aries?"

Harry scowled as he led the group to the door, "he went to find his date."

Daphne sighed, "how did he even convince the weaselette to go with him?"

Harry and Blaise shared a glance. Blaise shrugged his shoulders, "Aries is the heir to the House of Black…every girl wants a piece of him."

"I know that but I mean," here Daphne looked over at Blaise, "doesn't everyone know that he's in a committed relationship?"

By now they had reached the entrance to the great hall and out of the crowd gathered, Harry searched for Aries. He found Aries standing next to a girl who could only be Ginny Weasley. She was dressed in a rich deep blue dress and her hair fell down her back in nice waves. She looked almost to happy about the fact that she was standing next to Aries.

Harry knew that Aries had seen them because their eyes met and Aries winked at Harry to let him know that it would be fine.

* * *

Aries inwardly licked his lips as Blaise walked through the doors with Hermione. He wanted nothing more then to take Blaise back to his rooms and unclothe the Italian until he was naked beneath him.

"Huh?" He asked, looking down at Ginny.

She narrowed her eyes and gripped his arm tighter, "I said, it's a good thing you've ditched those losers. You're the heir to House Black…you need someone more befitting of your station.

Aries told himself to keep calm and not retaliate right then and there. He had an entire plan laid out for this night. He gave Ginny a predatory smile and led her into the Great Hall. Aries took a moment to take in the room that was filled with holiday cheer. Giant spruce trees covered in fairy lights were placed around the hall, while a soft fake snow fell from the enchanted ceiling.

The long tables were gone and Aries could see tables grouped around an area that spoke of dancing and a stage was focal, waiting for the band.

The dance opened with the four champions and their partners. Harry was dancing with Daphne, Gabby had brought Terry, while the girl from Drumstrang had brought one of her classmates. Alex had brought, to Aries surprise, Luna Lovegood.

Aries grimaced as Ginny led him to the dance floor and he forced a smile as they started to dance. He was still forcing himself to smile as they sat down to dinner and it was only after dinner that his smile became true.

He leaned down and whispered in the girl's ear. "Let's get out of here."

Ginny's eyes grew wide and she nodded. Aries took her arm and gently led her out of the hall. Ignoring the question in her eyes, Aries conjured a blindfold and placed it over her eyes. He took her hand and led her to one of his favorite spots. He was leading her to the chamber.

They reached the girls bathroom and Aries had already been here earlier to speak with Myrtle, so the ghost wouldn't bother them. He moved to the sink and softly hissed the word open.

The sink slowly started to move until the entrance was open. Aries gently lifted Ginny in his arms, and ignoring her questions started going down the stairs. "Aries, where are we going?"

Aries looked down at the girl in his arms, "somewhere special. Don't worry."

" _Ariesss. Who have you brought here?_ _"_

Aries set Ginny down and felt her stiffen behind him. "Aries…is…that…"

" _Godric…_ _this girl needs to be taught a lessssson._ _"_

The snake hissed in what Aries knew to be his laughter and moved closer. Aries felt Ginny shiver next to him as Godric wrapped his body around them and stuck his tongue out, licking the shaking girl. " _Sheeee smeellls of fear._ _"_

" _Well of coursssse, sssshe doesss_ _…_ _she isss only a coward._ _"_

Aries stopped when he felt Ginny grip his jacket. "This isn't funny Aries."

Aries narrowed his eyes at her, "neither is making fun of other people."

Ginny took a step back, "what?"

Aries took a step forward and grabbed her chin and bent down to whisper in her ear. She almost shivered at how cold his voice sounded. "Consider this a warning. Don't mess with Elara or _any_ one I consider family or you'll get much worse." He let go of her chin, "is that clear?"

She gave a brisk nod. Aries turned back to Godric, " _thanksss Godric. I_ _'_ _ll come by later._ _"_

The snake licked Aries face and he could feel the snake turn and leave with only a, " _thissss wasss entertaining._ _"_

Aries grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her back to the bathroom. He finally pulled off the blindfold and gazed hard into her eyes. "Also… _never_ tell any one what happened. This is our little secret."

Ginny gave one more quick nod before she ran out of the bathroom. Aries only watched her go, not really caring that tears had formed in the corners of her eyes. He slowly made his way back to the Ravenclaw tower.

"What did you do to her?"

Aries turned her head to see none other then Ron Weasley, standing there with a murderous expression on his face. That had been fast. He had been sure that Ron was still in the Great Hall with Alex and Neville.

Aries gave his most innocent expression. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I parted with Ginny ages ago."

Ron snorted. "Yeah right. I know what your game is Black."

Aries frowned then stepped forward to Ron, "oh really?" He leaned down to whisper in Ron's ear and was inwardly pleased when Ron's eyes widened and he scampered off.

"Aries Black!"

Aries winced as none other then Hermione Granger grabbed his ear. "Ow…Mione."

She ignored him and promptly pulled him in the direction of the head dorms. Aries glared at Blaise who was sniggering but it didn't work with him being pulled by Hermione.

"You are head boy! I don't know why you continue to act like this."

They were in the common room and Hermione was sitting with her arms crossed looking down at Aries with a furious expression. Aries was on the floor on his knees and he figured the only thing he could do was grovel.

"Mione…it was…it needed to be done."

Hermione glared her eyes. "I know what she said but you could have gone about it a different way. Showing Ginny Godric was stupid and reckless."

Aries sighed. "You're right." He turned his eyes to Hermione and gave what he hoped was his best puppy dog face, "I'm sorry Mione. It won't happen again."

Hermione pursed her lips before she sighed. "Promise."

Aries grinned and moved to sit next to her. He kissed her on the cheek, "I promise."

* * *

 **Stay tuned and next time...a fight between Harry and Aries.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ok…next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Christmas was over and the holidays were waning. Aries had wanted to visit Gringotts along with Harry but they found that they could never quite slip away. At the moment, Harry had been called to Dumbledore's office sometime ago and had yet to return.

He was on his way to the common room but before he got there someone grabbed his arm and pulled him into an empty classroom. "Hey," was on his lips until he saw who it was.

He grinned and when Blaise leaned down to capture his lips Aries gave up. He wrapped his arms around Blaise holding him close. "Not that I don't mind this but what's the deal with the empty classroom?"

Blaise pulled away and laughed. "Come on…don't tell me you didn't want to try this?"

Aries grinned, "true, but still, aren't we a little too old to be snogging in empty classrooms?"

Blaise grinned and kissed Aries again, "we're never to old for snogging in empty classrooms."

It wasn't what Aries had asked but who cared. He spent the rest of his afternoon with Blaise and finally made his way back to the common room. He spotted Harry sitting on the couch doing last minute holiday homework. He plopped down next to Harry and sighed.

Harry grinned. "Did Blaise tire you out?"

Aries frowned, "what makes you think I was with Blaise?"

Harry smirked, "then you might want to do something about that mark on your neck."

Aries blushed and looked down. Sure enough, there was a very visible mark on his neck. He inwardly scowled, waved his wand and it was concealed. "What did Dumbledore want?"

This time it was Harry's turn to scowl. He snapped his quill in half splattering ink all over his parchment homework. "Stupid git! He just talked to me about Alexander and how it was my duty as the oldest to help Alexander."

Aries frowned. He leaned back and crossed his arms. It seemed like Dumbledore was regretting his choice. "Hmm…Dumbledore must have begun to have doubts about Alexander. We need to be careful about him." He looked over at Harry, "have you figured out the egg yet?"

Harry grimaced so Aries took that as a no. Harry sighed, "all I get when I open it is a bunch of screaming that sounds like nails on a chalkboard."

Aries laughed, "try putting it under water."

Harry looked doubtful. "Water? How would that work?"

Aries shrugged his shoulders, "it was just an idea."

Harry narrowed his eyes as Aries left the common room to head back to the head rooms. Harry chewed on Aries advice. Aries was from a different reality and he had been the boy-who-lived so it made sense that he would know, so maybe Harry should check this tip out.

So, later that night, he borrowed Aries cloak and made his way to the prefect's bathroom. He always loved coming to this bathroom, the tub was so large it was like a swimming pool. He turned on the taps and in a few minutes the tub was full to the brim with nice, warm water and bubbles.

He undressed and lowered himself into the water and set the egg on the ledge and stared at it. After a few seconds, he grabbed the egg and ducked under water. To his surprise he didn't hear screaming but a creepy melody playing from the egg. It took him a few tries but eventually he had the song memorized.

* * *

A few weeks later Aries took a deep breath. He had snuck out to that creepy place known as Little Hangleton and he was currently staring at the old house. Just looking at the place gave him the chills. He was mindful of the manor house just over the hill that he was sure housed Voldemort. No sense in being captured and killed.

He needed to be smart about this, he just couldn't blindly waltz in and take the ring. Voldemort probably had more enchantments than Gringotts. It took some time but he was eventually able to get rid of the wards around the house. He waved his wand and conjured a snake, " _go to that housse and retrieve a ring for me._ _"_

" _Yesss ssspeaker._ _"_ The snake slithered away and a moment later returned carrying something in his mouth.

The snake dropped it and Aries grabbed a stone and transfigured it to look like the ring. He gave it to the snake, " _take thisss and replace it. Then sstay and guard._ _"_

The snake took the transfigured ring and slithered back into the house. Aries then conjured a stone box and lifted the ring into the box. He replaced the wards then checking to make sure the coast was clear, he apperated back to Hogsmede and Hogwarts.

Aries made himself at home in the common room. He now had the diary and the ring, which only left the cup and Nagini as well as Harry. Aries closed his eyes. He still hadn't told Harry how to get rid of the soul piece inside of him, and he wasn't looking forward to that conversation.

He sighed and leaned his head back. At that moment the door opened and Jude walked in and plopped down next to Aries. "You're wanted in Dumbledore's office."

Aries opened one eye and gazed at Jude, "did he say what he wanted?"

Jude shook his head. "Nope, just that you're needed in his office."

Aries frowned until he realized what day it was. Tomorrow was the day of the second task, and Dumbledore was asking for him, which meant that he was Harry's most important person. He inwardly winced, he could only hope that people didn't take it the wrong way. He could just imagine the jokes that they already got from their peers and friends.

He stood up and smiled at Jude, "thanks buddy. I'll see you later." He made his way to the headmaster's office.

* * *

The next morning, Harry was in a frenzy. Aries had left sometime yesterday to run an errand and hadn't been seen since.

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Where is he? This isn't like him!"

He felt a hand on his shoulder, "calm down Harry. He probably just fell asleep in the head boy's room last night after his errand."

Harry glared at Hermione. "But he always tell's me when he's back…what if something bad happened to him-" he was stopped by a hand over his mouth. Daphne was trying to hold her laughter in but was failing, "Mione is right. All you need to do is worry about the second task."

Harry swallowed whatever he was going to say. They were right. He closed his eyes, "fine."

Daphne smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "That's my boy. You're going to be fine."

Harry snorted. "Easy for you to say, you don't have to breathe underwater for an hour!"

Hermione pursed her lips, "hmm…how are you going to do that? Did you figure out a good spell?"

Harry nodded. "Aye." He bent down and kissed both Daphne and Hermione on the cheek and made his way out to the lake where the second task was to take place. He ignored Alex's glare and went to stand next to Gabby.

The stands quickly filled with students and teachers and in time Dumbledore's voice rang out over the crowd. "Welcome to the second task. The champions have each had one thing taken from them…they have an hour to search and find what they seek. On your mark…go."

The minute that Dumbledore said go, Harry non-verbally said the spell he had found and had dived headfirst into the water. The water was cold but Harry paid it no mind and using his strong muscles started to propel himself through the water.

He could feel his heart pounding the deeper he went and he inwardly shivered. It was more then a little creepy down here and he just wanted it to be over. Surprisingly he ran into no trouble and the closer he got to what he assumed was the mermaid village the more he could hear soft strains of music that sounded like the egg clue so he knew he was close.

He swam through the village ignoring the stares of the mermaids who quietly watched him. When he got to the middle of the village, he could see four sleeping bodies attached by the ankle to a large sunken statue. He inwardly grimaced as he saw who they were, there was a young girl and boy who were obviously for Gabby and Maria. Moving his eyes, Harry inwardly gave a small sigh of relief as he spotted Aries and then next to Aries was none other then his sister, Jamie.

He swam over to Aries and deciding to use his wandless magic, broke the chain connecting Aries to the statue. As he grabbed Aries arm, he hesitated and looked back, he wasn't sure where the others were but he felt bad leaving the other three down here. However, as he was thinking a blur swam past him and he saw that it was Gabby. She grabbed the young girl and met his eyes, pointing to the surface.

He shook his head and waved her on, knowing that she was rolling her eyes. Soon after Gabby came, Maria swam and grabbed the boy. Harry was getting worried. Where was Alex? After a few minutes, Harry decided that Alex wasn't coming and he would have to do something about Jamie. He broke Jamie's chain and grabbed her arm as well and started to swim towards the surface when he was suddenly pulled back.

He winced as he felt something slice his arm and he let go of Aries and Jamie. He whirled around to see a horde of angry mermaids. One of them, stuck out her pitchfork, "she wasn't yours to take."

Harry was now angry. "She's my family. I just can't leave her here," he snapped in mermish.

The mermaid seemed taken aback that he could speak mermish but she quickly regained her composure. Harry didn't have time to argue and raised his hand and shot of a spell. It gave him the brief distraction that he needed and he shot towards the surface, breaking it like that scene in the Little Mermaid.

He gasped for air and saw Aries beside him. "Harry!" Aries swam over and grabbed Harry by the arms, "are you okay?"

Harry coughed, waving him off. "I'm fine Aries. Where's Jamie?"

Aries narrowed his eyes at Harry but nodded his head towards a splashing figure. Harry swam towards his sister, "come on, you know she doesn't like water."

Aries gave a long suffering sigh and followed Harry. They both grabbed her arms to her surprise and started to swim towards the shore, where they could see Alex waiting. The moment they were near, Alex splashed in the surf and ripped her away, "get away from her!" He wrapped his arms around her shoulders leading her over to Madame Pomfrey.

Aries gazed at Harry, "Harry…why?"

Harry didn't say anything. He just couldn't leave Jamie down there in good conscience. Aries rolled his eyes and helped Harry over to Madame Pomfrey. She bustled over and threw a warmed cloak over both of them and then forced pepper-up potion down their throats.

Dumbledore was in discussion with the head mermaid and Harry ducked his head as she pointed in his direction. Aries rubbed his forehead, "did you have to be so noble?"

Harry glared at Aries. Easy for him, he didn't see how creepy it was down there, he was asleep.

Dumbledore finished with the mermaid and then went to speak with the judges. When they were done, he spoke to the crowd, "Alex Potter was unable to reach his target…we award him 20 points. Gabby Delacour used the bubble head charm and returned 5 minutes outside of the hour…we award her 35 points. Maria used the bubble head charm as well, returning 10 minutes outside of the hour…we award her 30 points. Harry Potter used a spell of his own making and returned well outside of the hour but that was due to wanting to return all the hostages other then his own…we award him 40 points. That concludes the second task. The third and final task will take place in June."

* * *

It was later that night that found Aries once more in the long sought after chamber of secrets with both the ring and the diary. The diary was smoldering where Aries had just destroyed it with some of Godric's venom. He was now currently looked down at the ring and wondering what to do. Death had told him to destroy the Hallows's but that wasn't the only thing on his mind.

" _What_ _'_ _sss wrong Ariesss?_ _"_ _You sssseeem down._ _"_

Aries sighed and leaned back against the giant snake. " _sssometimesss I don_ _'_ _t know what I_ _'_ _m doing. I don_ _'_ _t want Harry to deal with thissss, he hasss enough on hisss plate._ _"_

" _You are ssssilly for worrying. You are a treasssured friend to young Harry. From what you told me, you ssssaved a pure ssssoul from going dark_ _…_ _that it a great achievement._ _"_

"Aries? Are you in here?"

Aries suddenly sat up. "Harry? What are you doing in here?"

Harry gave Aries a sad smile and came to sit next to Aries, "hey Godric." He looked Aries in the eye, "something is bothering you. You vanished as soon as you could. I've known you long enough to know your habits by now. I thought you could tell me anything."

Aries swallowed. "Harry…it's…" he closed his eyes, "you're right." He placed his forehead on Harry's, "there's something I haven't told you. You know you're a horcrux but I haven't told you how to get rid of it."

Harry slowly nodded. Aries took a deep breath and went on, "that's because…you…you have to die."

Harry froze. He leaned back, "what?"

Aries closed his eyes and nodded. "The only way to get rid of the soul piece is for Voldemort to willingly kill you."

Harry was shocked. So, everything he had been living for was just so that he could die at the last minute. He thought back to what the dragon had said and knew that this was what she had meant. He stood up, "and you're just now thinking of telling me? How long until you were planning on telling me? Or wait, were you ever going to tell me?"

His voice was raising in anger and Aries flinched. He had never really seen Harry this mad and it hurt more then he realized. He licked his suddenly dry lips, "Harry…please…I was…"

Harry held up his hand. "Just stop Aries." He clenched his fists, "I can't…I need air." He ran and Aries could only watch. When Harry was gone, he kicked at a stone on the ground, "just great." He slumped down on the ground. Harry hated him now and Aries heart felt like it was breaking in two.

" _Little one_ _…_ _do not worry. Young Harry will come around._ _"_

Aries closed his eyes and suddenly bright orange cursed fire sprang from his wand, engulfing the ring. There was a loud scream and then there was nothing. Aries canceled the spell and with a terse goodbye to Godric made his way back to his room.

* * *

It was clear in the next few days that the most well known duo of Hogwarts was in an argument. Harry went out of his way to ignore Aries, who in turn did the same. In class, where they used to sit next to each other, they now steered clear of each other and at meal times, they never seemed to be in the Great Hall at the same time. Their friends had never seen such fighting between the two and were torn. Even their families had noticed, both Regulas and Teddy had tried to ask Harry what happened but failed as Harry sent some jinx at them, causing them to run in panic. Due to the fact that she was his girlfriend, Daphne was on Harry's side while Blaise was on Aries and Hermione was stuck somewhere in the middle.

Neither of the three knew what had happened and they were all more then a little worried.

Blaise swore and ran his fingers through his hair. "Merlin! What's going on with those two?"

Daphne shook her head, "I don't know but it's killing them. I can see it."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Daph is right. When they're not avoiding each other, I can see their eyes fall on each other. How do we make this right? I miss them."

Daphne hugged Hermione, "there has to be a way to fix this." She glanced up at Blaise, "right? They're stronger then this."

Blaise crossed his arms in deep thought. "This has to do with that night that Aries went to the chamber, I'm sure of it. If only I could speak parseltounge. I'm sure Godric knows what happened."

It was at that moment that a bird appeared and dropped something in Blaise's hand. He stared at Fawkes, who gave a thrill and nodded at the paper in his hands before flying away. He slowly opened it and his eyes widened.

Hermione grew concerned, "Blaise, what is it?"

Blaise closed his eyes and shook his head. "It says that the only way for Harry to get rid of the soul inside of him is to…die."

Both Daphne and Hermione paled. Daphne gripped Blaise's shirt, "are..are you sure?" Tears threatened to leak out of her eyes and she was doing her best not to cry.

Blaise closed his eyes and crushed the paper in his hands. "Look…we know Aries and we know where he came from…he must know something that we don't. The only thing we can do is trust him."

He hugged Daphne and she nodded against his chest. He reached out to pull Hermione in as well and the three friends stood there, each hoping that Aries knew what he was doing.

Aries sighed as he eavesdropped on the conversation his friends were having. He hoped that Harry would come to his senses soon, he missed his friend more than ever. He had asked Fawkes to do this errand for him and it gave him some relief that they finally knew the whole story.

He hopped off the ledge and made his way to his favorite tunnel out of the school grounds. He made his way to the shrinking shack and once Aries was there he left for Gringotts.

Once he was in Diagon Ally he hoped this would work. On his seventeenth birthday his father had passed him the lordship, so he was Lord Black but he had never actually used the title until today. He also hoped that his parents didn't hear about this, he was sure his dad would have a heart attack. He'd never really asked his father what had happened to Bellatrix but he assumed that she was still rotting in Azkaban, but he hoped that as Lord Black he would be able to claim the Lestrange vaults. He made his way to the teller, "I'd like to speak with Ripcurl."

The goblin sneered, "who's asking?"

Aries gave what he hoped was his most intimidating stare, "tell him that Lord Black is here and wishes to speak with him." He leaned in closer, "it's urgent."

The goblin swallowed as he realized that he was looking at one of the most powerful Lords in the modern world and with a nod scampered away. A few minutes later, Aries was led to a backroom and once he entered the door, he pulled his wand out and warded the room.

The goblin simply watched him and when Aries was done raised an eyebrow, "a little on the paranoid side, are we?"

Aries grinned, "maybe, but what I am about to ask is of utmost importance to the world." He sat down and turned to inspect his fingers, "tell me Ripcurl, what do you know of horcruxes?"

Ripcurl narrowed his eyes, "that's a dangerous word to be using. How does one so young as yourself know this word?"

Aries smirked, "please. I know much more then I let on."

Ripcurl sat back and regarded the young man. He couldn't help but inwardly shiver at the power he was feeling from the man. It was much more then Dumbledore and it almost was frightening. All of a sudden Ripcurl's eye's widened, "you…you are the Master of Death."

It wasn't a question, so Aries merely smiled even though it didn't reach his eyes.

Ripcurl nodded his head, "that explains things…what do you want?"

Aries leaned forward, "there is something I want…a cup of Hufflepuffs…I think you know where it is."

Ripcurl did indeed know where it was and it was safely locked up in the Lestrange's vault. "Why do you require the cup?"

Aries smirk turned vicious, "why do you think?"

Ripcurl grew pale for a goblin, "it's a horcrux?"

Aries nodded. "Aye and I would like to destroy it."

Ripcurl narrowed his eyes, he wasn't about to offend the young lord by asking how he would be able to destroy it. He gave a brief nod, "very well…I will bring you the cup. I will let you know when I have it."

Aries crossed his arms and shook his head, "no. I need it today."

Ripcurl hissed, "don't ask the impossible."

Aries wouldn't budge. "I won't leave without it. If I have to, I will simply get it through my own means."

The threat was clear. If Ripcurl didn't agree then Aries would simply steal it. Ripcurl growled and left through the door. Aries inwardly gave a sigh of relief, that had gone better then he had hoped. With the cup destroyed the only one's left would be Nagini and Harry. Voldemort would be finished by the end of the year, Aries would be sure of it.

A few minutes later the door slammed open and Ripcurl threw something at Aries, "there. Now get out of my sight!"

Aries grinned at the cup and bowed to Ripcurl, "may gold everflow through your coffers."

He shrunk it and placed it in a secure location then left the bank. Now he just needed to get back to Hogwarts without being seen, but like always his luck failed.

"Aries? Is that you?"

He flinched. It was Lily Potter. He turned to see that she had bags on her arms and a disapproving look on her face. He gave her his best smile, "Aunt Lily, what a surprise."

She frowned, "what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at school?" Her eyes narrowed, "are you…skipping?"

Aries winced. She started to get that look that said terrible things were about to happen so Aries kissed her on the cheek and ran away as fast as he could. He didn't stop until he was in a clear spot to apperate and made his way back to Hogwarts.

"Where have you been?"

He spun around. It was Jamie. He narrowed his eyes and walked past her, "none of your business Mrs. Potter."

He was stopped by a hand grabbing his shirt. "Aries…please…what do I have to do to get you back? I'm sorry, I've regretted my actions the moment I said it…you were right. Harry doesn't deserve to be treated like we treat him, " her voice cracked and Aries knew she was crying, "he…he even saved me…please Aries…I miss you."

Aries inwardly sighed. He slowly turned around to see that she had fallen to the floor and was crying like a child. He knelt down next to her and wrapped his arms around her, "You're forgiven…but you know who you really need to ask?"

She glanced up and nodded. "…Harry." She bit her lip, "do you think he'll forgive me? It's been years…"

Aries gave her a soft smile. "I know Harry will forgive you. You're his family. You're all he's ever wanted."

She gave him a smile, "thanks Aries." She stood up as if in a hurry. Aries frowned, "where are you off to in a hurry?"

She gave him another smile as she ran off, "I've got so many people to find."

* * *

Somewhere, in a dark and decrepit manor, a lone figure sat before the fireplace. He was so close to resuming his real body but something felt off. He stroked Nagini's head and wondered what this feeling was.

"Wormtail!" He hissed.

There was a scurrying of feet and a rat like man appeared before the fire. "Yes…my lord?"

"I have an..errand for you to run. Come closer."

Wormtail squeaked but moved closer anyway. He shivered as the figure whispered in his ear. He nodded and left the room. The figure patiently waited. There was no way that someone knew what he had undertaken…no possible way.

A few minutes later, Wormtail re-appeared and held out a ring to the figure. The figure suddenly hissed and slapped the ring away. NO! It wasn't possible! He was fuming, did that mean that the other's were gone? Was this what he was feeling?

"My lord…I've had a message from the other…"

The figure grew quiet, "go on Wormtail."

"There is a student…the other is assured that he can sway the student to our side…he's most powerful."

The figure stopped stroking Nagini then resumed. "Very well. I wish to meet this student…bring him to me."

Wormtail nodded, "as you wish my lord."

Wormtail scurried away and the figure sat back and pondered this new development. However, he wasn't worried. As long as he kept Nagini close, then there was no way he could be killed. He would be able to live forever.

* * *

 **What do you guys think?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey Everyone! Please enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Harry outwardly sighed. He was sitting in the library trying to study for N.E.W.T.S but was failing. His mind kept going back to Aries and the truth he had found out. Part of Harry knew that Aries had only done it to protect him but the other part was still angry that he had kept it for so long.

What was the point if he was only going to die in the end?

He slammed his head down on the table with a moan. Madame Pince narrowed her eyes at Harry, who gave a somewhat apologetic smile and went back to attempting to study.

He also knew he needed to make up with Aries. He missed his best friend. Life didn't seem as fun anymore. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice he had company until someone poked him.

"Hey," he exclaimed. His eyes grew wide. He coughed, "what do you want" and he turned back to his notes.

Jamie Potter chewed her lip and glanced down at the table. "Harry…I know we've never really seen eye to eye." Harry snorted. She took a deep breath, "but I wanted to say…that I was sorry."

Harry wasn't sure he heard right. He looked up from his notes with a wary expression. "Excuse me? Did you just say…sorry?"

She blushed but nodded. Harry glanced over at her and noticed that her eyes were puffy and red so she must have been recently crying. "I was so wrong about you and now I've ruined the chance to know you…I'm sorry."

Harry gave her a soft smile and lifted her face up to meet his green eyes. "Jamie…I've never hated you. You're my family and that's all that matters."

Her eyes widened as a smile alighted her face, "really?"

Harry nodded and before he knew it, she had thrown herself at him and wrapped his arms vise like around his neck. "Oh, Harry! Thankyou!" She kissed him on the cheek and with a little wave, ran off.

Harry touched his cheek, wondering what had happened in the last few days to make his sister change her attitude. He only hoped that it wasn't some passing fancy or that Alex had put her up to it.

He smiled. It had felt nice.

* * *

Lily Potter pursed her lips. Aries was up to something, she was sure of it. She put down the dishes and went to find her husband.

She found him in his office pouring over paperwork. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck kissing his cheek, "how's it going?"

James sighed. "Honestly, I don't know." He closed his eyes, "what's on your mind?"

Lily scowled, "do I need a reason to see you?"

James smirked and pulled her into his lap, "no, but I know you and you're scheming something. I'm sure of it."

Lily blushed. "There's something-" she was stopped by a tapping. She got up and going over to the window noticed an owl. She opened the window and took the letter. She slowly opened it and almost fainted from the shock.

James stood, "what does it say?"

Lily was at a loss for words. "James…it says…it's from Jamie. She said that she's going to apologize to everyone she's put off with her attitude starting with Harry."

James raised an eyebrow with a small smile, "Well, it looks like someone is finally growing up. I wonder what changed her mind."

Lily returned his smile with one of her own, "I don't know but I bet it had to do with the second task." She frowned and set the letter down, "you know, I saw Aries the other day in Diagon Ally."

James scoffed, "Aries Black? Head Boy? Ravenclaw? Yeah, right."

Lily shook her head, "no, it was him. I called out to him and he flinched. I was going to scold him but he ran away." She tapped her finger on her lip, "I'm going to speak with Marlene."

She strode over to the fireplace and threw some floo powder in, "Marlene Black, Grimmauld Place." She placed her head in the fire, "Marlene?"

Her best friend came over, "Lily. What can I do for you?"

Lily got right to the point. "I saw Aries in Diagon Ally the other day. Do you know why he was there?"

Marlene frowned, "no, but Sirius got a letter from Gringotts. Apparently, Aries was seen at the bank in the role of Lord Black."

Lily gasped, "he's already assumed the Lordship?"

Marlene nodded, "yeah, on his seventeenth birthday, Sirius gave him the ring. I tried to find out what Aries did but the goblins and Sirius were very tight lipped." Marlene smirked, "either way, Sirius isn't happy. He sent a howler."

Lily raised an eyebrow, "really? The Sirius Black sent a howler? I almost wish I was a student so I could see that."

James choked on his laughter, "I didn't think old Pads had it in him…maybe we can get the memory from someone."

Both Lily and Marlene rolled their eyes as he entered the conversation. They talked for a few more minutes before saying their goodbyes until the next order meeting.

* * *

Aries was eating breakfast when a regal black owl landed in front of him bearing a red envelope. He paled as he recognized his father's owl, Killer and paled even further when he noticed the howler. It seemed his father had found out about his Gringott's run. Damn Goblins!

The hall had gone silent as they all waited for the incoming outburst. Blaise sniggered into his hand, "well, this is a first. I don't think your dad has ever sent one of these."

Aries glared at Blaise and slowly took the envelope from Killer's beak. He closed his eyes and opened the letter. His father's voice was magnified but it wasn't angry, it was just disappointed.

"Aries Orion Black. I know what you did and I'm not happy about that. Not only did you skip school, but you purposefully abused your privileges. As such, you will be coming home this weekend and we will be having a serious discussion."

The letter promptly burst into flames. Aries stood up and gracefully left the Great Hall. Blaise raised an eyebrow before he too, got up and followed Aries out.

Harry chewed his lip. He had made his way into the great hall as Uncle Sirius's voice had started to speak and Harry was confused. What had Aries done to make Sirius send a howler?

He moved away as Aries walked past and his green eyes met Aries own green eyes. It was only for a minute, but Harry had never seen Aries eyes look like that. He closed his eyes and wanted to wallow in his self pity. Their stupid argument was his fault and so he would have to be the bigger man and apologize first, but something was stopping him and it scared him that he didn't know what.

Blaise finally caught up with Aries outside by the lake. "Aries! Hey Aries!" He grabbed Aries by the shoulder, only to widen his eyes when Aries pulled away and glared at Blaise. Blaise frowned, "Aries."

Aries sighed. "I'm sorry Blaise." He glanced over at the lake, "I think I'm going to tell my dad."

Blaise sucked in a breath, "you mean…about where you come from?"

Aries nodded. "Yeah. That howler was about something I did for Harry and I think he deserves to know the truth."

Blaise sighed, "you do know that he's probably going to tell the order."

Aries nodded and laid his head down on Blaise's shoulder, "I know, but maybe it's time they know the truth. They deserve that much."

Blaise shrugged his shoulders, "it's up to you."

Aries smiled and kissed his Italian on the cheek and then pulled out a mirror from his pocket, "Sirius Black."

The mirror waved for just a second then Sirius Black's face appeared in the mirror. He was frowning, "Aries...what's going on?"

Aries bit his lip, "I have something to tell you."

Sirius was silent. "Just me or is your mother allowed?"

Aries shook his head, "just you."

Sirius pursed his lips and regarded his son. He finally closed his eyes, "very well. We shall discuss this at home." His face vanished and Aries simply stared at the mirror.

"You know, no matter what happens, you're still his son..nothing will change that."

Aries was amazed. How Blaise knew what he was thinking was beyond him? Blaise pulled Aries to his feet, "come on. It's time for Runes."

It was a few days later that found Aries standing in front of the headmaster in his office. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling and Aries knew that Dumbledore had heard about his punishment and was probably remembering his father's glory days. Flitwick had given him detention until the end of the semester and let's not forget McGonagall…his ears were still ringing.

Dumbledore passed him the floo powder and Aries took a handful. Stepping up he threw down the powder, "Grimmauld Place!" In a woosh of green flames, Aries was gone.

When he stepped out of the fire, it was to a very tight lipped Sirius Black with his arms crossed and glaring down at Aries. Aries swallowed. He was sure he had never seen his dad this angry.

Aries sighed, "where's mum?"

Sirius's eye's twitched, "she's over at the Potter's for the weekend." He turned and headed for his office and Aries knew he was to follow. When they got there, Sirius sat in his chair and simply waited for Aries to speak.

Aries bit his lip, wondering how to go about telling his father this news. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "do you know about the Deathly Hallows?"

Sirius frowned, "that's just a myth. What does that have to do with this?"

Aries shook his head, "it's not a myth. They exist. There's the elder wand, the resurrection stone, and the cloak of invisibility. When one gather's all three, they become the master of death. What I am about to tell you involves these very three items. Do you believe in alternate realties?"

Sirius pursed his lips, "…yes, but it's never been proven."

Aries clasped his hands together, "well it's true." Sirius sucked in a breath, "what?"

Aries nodded, "where I came from, I was known as Harry Potter and was labeled as the one to defeat Voldemort. After seven hard years of fighting, I was successful and had become the master of death. However, during the last battle, I was called to death's door. There, he told me how my soul was tainted and that…in this reality…the neglect of his family caused Harry to turn to the dark and he…grew more feared then even Voldemort."

Sirius had paled. This was not what he had been expecting. "You…you've known since you came?"

Aries nodded, "aye. That's why I became friends with the Harry Potter in this dimension. I also think it's time you know what really happened that night."

Sirius scowled, "you mean…that Halloween night?"

Aries nodded once more. "You people assume that Alexander is the boy-who-lived, but it's not." Sirius gasped, "what?"

Aries opened his eyes to gaze at Sirius, "it's Harry. It's always been Harry." Here, Aries glanced down at the ground, "you see, when the killing curse was cast and destroyed Voldemort's body, his soul latched on to one of the only living thing's in the room…Harry. That's where he get's that lightening bolt scar from."

Sirius was confused and his mind started to think like an auror's, "but how is Voldemort still alive?"

Aries chewed his lip, "do you know what a horcrux is?" Sirius nodded. "Well…Voldemort was obsessed with living forever, so he made not one, but six horcruxes…Harry was the unintentional seventh."

Sirius closed his eyes, "so what happened at Gringott's…involved a horcrux?"

Aries mutely nodded. He couldn't bring himself to look at his father. Suddenly he felt fingers lift up his chin. Aries blinked back sudden tears and even though he was seventeen Sirius lifted Aries up so that Aries was somewhat sitting in Sirius's lap. When Sirius's arms wrapped themselves around Aries was when he lost it completely. He fisted his hands in his father's shirt and soaked up the comfort of the older male.

"No matter, how you came to be, you'll always be my son. I'm proud of everything you've done and you're going to keep making me proud in the future."

Aries pulled away and glanced up at his father, "really? You don't mind?"

Sirius smiled and kissed Aries on the forehead, "nope. You're stuck with me for life."

Aries let out a little laugh and snuggled closer, "thanks dad."

Sirius's arms tightened around Aries, "just promise me…from now on, you'll talk to the adults. I don't want to lose you or your siblings/cousins." Sirius sighed, "I'll also have to tell the Order. I assume you know how to defeat Voldemort?"

Aries nodded. "I figured." He peaked an eye open, "so does that mean I'm not punished?"

Sirius frowned, "I'll think about it."

* * *

The next week Aries was back at Hogwarts and he was patrolling the halls after curfew. He hadn't been to see his Slytherin's recently so he was thinking about heading to the Slytherin rooms after he was done.

His mind drifted back to Harry. They were still somewhat at odds, neither one wanting to be the first to break, but it was wearing on Aries. He missed Harry. He inwardly smiled as he recalled how Jamie was acting now and how she was around Harry. As if wanting to make up for lost time she had taken to hanging around him and even Aries could see that it was wearing on Harry, but being the person he was, Harry would probably never say anything.

His mind was so caught up with his thoughts that he was hardly paying attention to his surroundings and didn't catch the intruder until it was too late.

A red beam of light shot out and Aries crumbled to the floor. The stranger picked up Aries and after looking to make sure the coast was clear, portkeyed out.

Aries groaned. What happened? What an idiot? Moody would be laughing his ass off at Aries for such a rookie mistake. He slowly opened his eyes as they widened. He tensed and struggled to get free when he realized his hands and feet were bound with a strong magical golden chain.

"Hmm…to instantly fear my presence. You must know who I am."

The voice was cold and instantly recognizable. Aries smirked, "if you think I'm afraid then you don't get out much."

Voldemort narrowed his eyes, "so you've got spite. _What do you think Nagini? Sssshould we keep him?_ _"_

Aries snorted, " _don'_ _t talk about me asss if I_ _'_ _m a pet!_ _"_

Voldemort froze. Slowly a grin formed on his translucent face, "interesting. I didn't think that there were any more of us out there. I so want to make you mine even more. Wormtail!"

Aries froze as the man scurried into the room. "Yes Master?"

"Take care of him. I want to see how long he can last."

Wormtail nodded and then turned to Aries. He slowly raised his wand and Aries winced as Wormtail started to slowly torture him. Sometime later, Voldemort looked on Aries with glee, "impressive. It's been hours and still have you yet to make a peep." He smiled and somehow it didn't reach his red eyes, Aries shivered in spite of himself. Voldemort leaned back, "that's enough for today. We shall continue this tomorrow."

* * *

The next morning Harry awoke in a panic. He rubbed a hand over his scar, trying to remember his dream. He could feel the happiness running off Voldemort in spades. He shut his eyes and hugged his knees to his chest as images ran through his mind.

All of a sudden his eyes widened and he had to cover his mouth as not to vomit. Ignoring his dorm mates, he ran like a mad man all the way to the head rooms and despite the early morning, gave the password.

The painting sprung open and Harry tumbled through the door and off to Aries room. He ripped the door open and his worst fears were realized. Blaise. That's right. Ignoring Hermione's cries, Harry ran to the Slytherin dorms and knocked on the door. "Blaise…please…open the door."

He didn't know how long he stood there or did he care that he was making a racket. The door swung open and a sleepy eyed Blaise poked his head out, "Harry?" He took one look at Harry and his concern mounted, "what's wrong?"

Harry crumbled to the floor and Blaise knelt down with his arms around Harry. Blaise gave a nod of his to Hermione and Daphne to go get help and the girls ran off. Harry clutched Blaise's sleep shirt and couldn't speak past the sobs, "…Aries…where is Aries?"

Blaise blinked. "He should be in his room. He didn't come to my rooms last night?" Blaise licked his lips, "was that not the case?"

By now, the girls had returned with the professor's with Dumbledore leading the front. Blaise grabbed Harry's face so as to calm him down, "Harry. Calm down…tell me what happened?"

Harry took a shuddering breath, his gaze locked on Blaise's, "I saw it," there was a gasp from the crowd. Harry continued, "he…Aries…Voldemort has Aries."

Both Hermione and Daphne gasped. Dumbledore grew serious, "are you sure about this Harry?"

Harry closed his eyes and gave a slow nod. "Yes. He…" Harry trailed off and Blaise pulled his face into his chest.

* * *

Sirius Black was curious. Earlier in the day, Dumbledore had called an emergency meeting of the order without managing to tell anyone the reason.

Sirius was thinking. Something big must have happened, he remembered Dumbledore's face and the old man had seemed even older.

"Hey Pads…still trying to think about the reason?"

Sirius glared at Remus, "something happened and it must have happened at school. The aurors haven't dealt with any big cases."

"Pads is right Moony." This came from James Potter, who had seated himself on Sirius's other side. "And you know, we are the two best aurors in the whole business."

Sirius grinned while Remus, Lily and Marlene rolled their eyes. These two. Really, they were grown adults.

Sirius took a moment to glance around the room. Molly Weasley was talking with her two older brothers, while Arthur was talking with Frank and Alice Longbottom. The others were all milling about and the room was filled with quiet conversation and the only people missing were the ones from Hogwarts.

At that moment Dumbledore walked through the door, the professors, or at least the one's in the order followed. Dumbledore seemed tired as if he didn't want to have this meeting and suddenly Sirius got a bad feeling.

Everyone grew quiet as Dumbledore made his way to the front. He sighed, "it is with a heavy heart that I tell you what I have to tell you. It seems that Hogwarts has been infiltrated-"

"What!"

"The kids!"

"How did that happen?"

The room was full of cries and Dumbledore held up his hand for silence, "it seems that an old friend was not who he seemed, but the reason for this meeting is," and here his eyes sought Sirius's and suddenly Sirius was frozen. Dumbledore closed his eyes, "a student was taken."

The way his eyes were sitting on Sirius, it was clear who it was. Sirius wasn't even aware of what he was doing until he heard cries from James and Remus, who tried to hold him back. "Where is my son?"

Dumbledore shook his head, "Sirius…we are working on it…but it will take time-"

There was an explosion from somewhere behind Sirius, "don't give me excuses!" James stepped in front of Sirius and held his hand up, "Sirius…I know you're worried…but calm down." Sirius glared at James, his breathing heavy before he turned away, "my son better be in one piece."

He stalked forward and grabbed Marlene. She still seemed to be in shock and they apperated out. James shrugged his shoulders and grabbed Lily before following Sirius. Remus bowed his head, "I'll talk to them," and followed in the same suit.

Marlene tumbled out of his arms the moment the world stopped spinning and crumbled to the ground, "Aries…" A second later, two more pops sounded and Lily was instantly at Marlene's side, gathering the distraught woman in her arms.

James grabbed Sirius's arm, "come on…let's get you to the dueling room."

Sirius numbly nodded and the men vanished into the Potter's dueling room. The minute he was able, Sirius grabbed his wand and shot out a spell at the other two. It was only thanks to their years of friendship that they were able to dodge so quickly.

It was sometime later and all three men were laying on the ground. James sat up and wrapped Sirius in a hug. "Aries is a strong kid…he can take care of himself."

Sirius grabbed Jame's arms and clung to his friend. "I know, but…what if…"

Remus came over and placed his hand on Sirius's back, "don't think like that. Aries will come back, but I think you're calm enough that you should go to Marlene."

Sirius sniffed and slowly nodded. He stood up and after casting some freshening charms, made his way to the living room. Marlene was sitting on the couch, her tea untouched and cold.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, "I will find our son. I promise."

* * *

 **So…Aries has been taken. Stay tuned!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello! In this chapter Aries uses fiendfyre and I know that in canon it's almost impossible to control but since this is AU and he is the master of death, he is able to control it. The scene with Wormtail and the graveyard comes directly from the Goblet of Fire (all rights go to JK Rowling).**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Days turned into weeks and still Aries had yet to be found. A somber mood hung over the castle. Regulas and Elara were moody and distracted, while Teddy was prone to arguments. His friends weren't in any better shape and the tensions were high among the students. Aries was a very popular and well liked person.

The one most affected by Aries disappearance was Harry Potter. He had bags under his eyes, as if he never got enough sleep and he seemed to have lost weight. His mind was focused on one thing and that was getting Aries back.

The morning of the third and final task, found Harry sitting alone at the Ravenclaw table, picking at his food. And, yes they were still having this sham of a tournament because each champion was magically bound to compete. His friends had left earlier, as they had exams to take. Harry, because he was a champion was exempt from the exams. He would just have to take his N.E.W.T.S when this was all over.

It was a gentle hand that was his undoing.

"Harry."

That was all his mother said for Harry to simply lose it and cling to his mother in a way that he hadn't since he was two. Lily kept the tears at bay as she wrapped her arms around her son, softly whispering words of comfort and love. "Harry…Aries will be fine. Even as we speak your father and Sirius are working to find him."

Harry sniffed and shook his head, "but what if…my last words were words of anger…what if I never get a chance to make it up to him? He probably hates me."

Aha. Here was the crux of the matter. She had gotten no less then at least seven owls from children and professors alike detailing the fight between Harry and Aries. Her fingers carded through his hair, and Harry felt at peace. "Aries could never hate you…you're brothers."

She lifted his face up to meet her eyes, "No matter what happened between you and Aries, I'm sure that he forgave you the moment you finished fighting."

Harry blinked, "you really think so?"

Lily smiled, "I'm sure of it."

Harry finally smiled and pulled away. "Thanks mum." He blinked, "why are you here?"

Lily grinned, "we came to watch the third task. All the families were invited." She kissed him on the cheek, "it's still early…I think you should take a nap."

Harry wanted to roll his eyes, "mum…I'm fine-"

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, "Harry James Potter! Don't tell me your fine, when I can see the bags under your eyes. You need to be rested for this task." She pointed towards the doors, "march right up to the infirmary."

Harry had the audacity to blush. "The infirmary! But mum-"

"No buts Harry James!" His mother looked down, her green eyes blazing with what is known as a parents anger. Harry sighed and reluctantly got up from the table and headed for the infirmary. Of course, according to his inner Slytherin, he was planning on hightailing it the moment he was clear of his mum but his plans were dashed as she followed. He had no choice but to go the infirmary.

A much rested Harry Potter made his way back to the great hall a few hours later in time for dinner. The great hall was lively with chatter and Harry smiled as he spotted the three he was looking for.

Daphne grinned as he sat down next to her, "how was your nap?"

Harry grimaced, "how do you know about that?"

Hermione snorted, "please. Your mum told us." Her eyes softened, "you look loads better."

Harry scowled, "gee thanks Hermione."

Hermione merely gave Harry an innocent smile. Blaise smirked, "are you ready to beat the great git in front of an audience for one last time?"

Hermione frowned, "Blaise! This isn't about winning," she turned to Harry, "although, it's stupid that you still have to compete. There should be some rule about emergency issues."

Harry shrugged. "You're right in that I don't want to compete, but it's what I have to do if I want to keep my magic."

Harry sighed. It was time to go. He leaned over and kissed Daphne on the cheek and to his surprise, she grabbed his face and proceeded to snog his face. Harry relaxed into the kiss and only after both Hermione and Blaise coughed did the two pull apart.

Harry grinned and sprinted out of the great hall and towards the quiditch pitch, where a maze had been erected for the task. When he got there, the other three champions were already there huddled around Dumbledore.

When he saw Harry, Dumbledore cleared his throat, "so what you see before you is a maze. Your task is to retrieve the cup. Alex and Harry Potter are tied for first, so they will head into the maze first. Then, Maria will head in second with Gabby going in third. Good Luck."

The four champions waited for what seemed like eternity as they heard the crowds of the students and parents arrive in the stands. Finally Dumbledore returned and gestured for both Harry and Alex.

They went to stand next to the headmaster and he led him to the entrance of the maze. "Now, if you have any trouble, use your wand to send up sparks and a professor will be there immediately."

Both Alex and Harry nodded. Dumbledore stepped back, "then on my mark…go."

Both Harry and Alex sprinted into the maze and at once the maze closed up omitting the sound of the crowd. The blood was rushing in Harry's ears as he made his way, "point me." His wand spun to the right, so he switched and headed that way.

At some point, he had separated from Alex, so he was alone. He was cautiously peering around a corner when he heard something at his back. He instantly rolled to the left and spun around with his wand out. His eyes narrowed when he didn't see anything only to trip as something grabbed his leg.

His eyes widened. "Incendio."

The fire spell shot towards the plant and Harry winced as it made contact with his skin. He quickly pushed off the plant and made his way again. He had only been moving for a few minutes when he heard a scream. Cursing his good intentions, he followed the screams and paused at the scene.

Gabby had been knocked to the ground by none other then Maria and the two females were struggling for a wand. Gabby cried out as Maria finally managed to subdue the French girl.

"Stupefy."

Maria crumbled to the ground, next to Gabby. Harry chewed his lip, and cast up red sparks. Hopefully the professors would get here soon. "Point me." His wand turned and he ran in what he hoped was the right direction.

He turned a corner and out of his eye could see the soft blue glow of the cup. He started to sprint when suddenly someone ran into him from the left. He was about to curse Alex when he noticed the very gigantic spider behind him.

Alex only had a moment to turn pleading eyes to Harry before the acromauntala grabbed his leg and started to pull Alex towards him. "Bombarda!" The spell hit the spider in the leg and let go. Harry grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him behind Harry.

Harry waved his wand in some complicated spell he had created that was a variation of the protego spell. He then turned and grabbed Alex's wrist, "come on. That won't hold him for long."

Harry was pulling them towards the cup. He finally let go of Alex and tried to catch his breath. He glanced over at Alex to see how he was holding up only to find his brother on all fours on the ground.

"Alex…what's wrong? Did it get you?" Harry instantly turned on the big brother act. Alex waved his hand, "get off Harry."

Harry froze. Alex hadn't used his name since they were little. Alex closed his eyes. Merlin, he was such a coward. He was so tired of lying to the world and to Harry. The words he wanted to say were on the tip of his tongue but somehow they wouldn't come out.

Harry took a deep breath, "come on. Let's both take the cup and get out of here."

Alex was shocked. "You…you would tie?"

Harry gave Alex one of his rare smiles and Alex was stunned. He hadn't seen that smile on Harry in years. "Well yeah, it would still be a Hogwarts win…so?"

Alex closed his eyes and smiled. Even after all this time, his brother was still so soft-hearted. He nodded. Slowly, they both reached up and grabbed one of the handles. Suddenly they were sucked into a vortex of swirling energy.

* * *

Aries coughed up blood. He wasn't sure how long he had been here but he was sure weeks had gone by. His body was weak not from just lack of food and water but because of Voldemort's tender care. His most recent gift had left him dripping blood off his eye and he glared at Voldemort through his good eye.

"Hmm…I'm very impressed. It's been weeks and you're still alive. If only my toughest death eaters were like you." Voldemort smirked from his spot in his chair, his fingers absently stroking Nagini's head.

Aries smirked despite the blood, " _what can I ssssay? Maybe, your death eater_ _'_ _sss are jusssst weak._ _"_

He flinched and his back arched as Wormtail performed the torture curse. Aries was gasping for air by the time he released the curse. Voldemort frowned, "your wit is quickly grating on my last nerve." Voldemort's frown turned feral, "now isn't this just the perfect idea." He motioned for Wormtail and whispered something in the rat's ear. Wormtail nodded and Aries wondered what was going to happen. He swallowed when Wormtail touched his wand to Aries cheek, "where should it go Master? On the face, where it can be seen?"

Voldemort smirked in answer but shook his head, "no. He already has a tattoo on his shoulder. Let's make this one…a tad bigger."

Wormtail grinned and Aries finally screamed as Wormtail brought his wand down to his chest where the rat gleefully burned a reminder of Voldemort that would stay with Aries for the rest of his life.

When Wormtail was done, a sudden pulse of magic swept through the area. Voldemort grinned, "it's time. Wormtail, let's go meet our guests."

Wormtail slightly grimaced but went to carry his master down to the graveyard. Nagini stayed behind and watched Aries with careful dark eyes. Well this was just perfect. He couldn't have planned it better himself. " _why do you ssserve ssssuch a dark persssson?_ _"_

The snake simply stared and for a minute Aries thought she wouldn't reply when he heard a soft hissing. " _Massster ssssaved me when I was but a hatchling. He isss my ssssavoir and Nagini would do anything for him._ _"_

Aries inwardly gagged. Voldemort had crazy snake lovers. He closed his eye. He would only have one shot at this and it needed to work. He called on all his magic and silently spoke the incantation for fiendfyre.

The fire spread from his hands and instantly the room lit up with the heat of the flames. Aries could fee the heat from the fire and wiggled his chains. He needed to get out of here and fast. He knew what would happen should the fire catch him. His plan had been for the fire to heat up the chains and then apperate out, but if his chains didn't break then he was dead.

To his immense pleasure, he could hear moans of pain from the snake before it grew silent. The flames were getting closer and Aries was starting to panic when suddenly the chains broke and without a second thought, he apperated out, just as the fire consumed the house.

* * *

Harry and Alex were suddenly cast out of the spinning vortex and onto the ground. Harry barely managed to hear a whisper before he was yelling, "duck."

Without a word, Alex ducked and both boys gaped as the green of the killing curse flew over his head, not a second later.

There was a chilling laugh. Alex was suddenly hoisted through the air and shackled to a grave. Harry tried to stand when he felt himself lifted through the air and shackled to a grave like Alex.

"The Potter twins. Oh, how I have lived for this day."

Both Harry and Alex froze at the voice. There was no mistaking it. It could only belong to one person. Voldemort.

"You have both been the bane of my existence and tonight it will end. Neither of you will get out of here alive. Wormtail!"

The Potter twins froze at the name. Peter Pettigrew hadn't been seen since that night on Halloween, the Potter's believing him to be dead in the aftermath. Wormtail moved closer and stuffed something in Harry's mouth, so that he couldn't scream. He could only watch in horror as Wormtail dumped what he had been holding in a cauldron.

Wormtail closed his eyes, "bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son." Dust rose from the grave at Harry's feet and Wormtail directed it to the cauldron and the potion turned a shimmering blue.

"Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master." Harry and Alex realized what he was about to do a moment too late. Wormtail took a knife and slashed his hand, letting it drop into the potion that turned a deep red.

"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe." Harry could feel Wormtail's breath on his face and winced when the dagger sliced his arm. A vile was held up and Wormtail gathered a few precious drops of blood. Harry then watched as Wormtail repeated the action on Alex.

He then dumped the blood in the potion and it turned a dazzling, blinding white. Wormtail finally collapsed to the ground, moaning and holding his stump of an arm. There was a blinding light and Harry's worst dreams were becoming true.

Slowly but surely, Voldemort stepped out from the cauldron. He stepped over to Wormtail, "give me your hand."

Wormtail slowly offered his one good arm and Voldemort pushed up the sleeve of the robes and with one finger touched the mark. Suddenly loud cracks announced the arrival of those Harry could only assume who were death eaters. Voldemort was about to say something when he turned and stared at the house upon the hill. Harry was confused, but his question was answered when flames burst forth, engulfing the manor.

Voldemort was seething, that much was certain. There was a loud crack followed by a moan and all eyes turned to the bloody figure that had just appeared in their midst.

Harry's breath caught in his throat. It was Aries. His body was covered in nothing more then his trousers, but even that couldn't be considered clothing. What horrified Harry were the wounds. Blood covered almost every inch of Aries and if Harry was correct, Voldemort had etched his mark into Aries skin, from his shoulder down his chest. Harry was also sure he could see bone at some point. What's more was that he was covered in burns and was moaning in pain.

Harry wondered what Voldemort would do. His red eyes were locked in on Aries and to the shock of everyone, Voldemort laughed, "well this is unexpected." He kicked Aries, invoking a moan, "it's amazing to think that you had this much power to control fiendfyre even at your weakest, but now what to do with you?"

He waved his wand and a cross formed beneath Aries, so that he was hanging with his arms outstretched. Voldemort ran a finger down Aries cheek and turned to Harry, "I think you've outlived your usefulness…"

Harry's heart froze. He wouldn't let Aries go without a fight. "NO!"

Voldemort slowly turned with a smile, "who are you to stop me?"

Harry closed his eyes, "take me instead."

Voldemort paused and gazed directly at Harry, "you would take his place?" He pursed his lips, "how so like a Gryffindor." He turned back to Aries, "hear that young one…your friend has volunteered to take your place. What do you say?"

Aries eye's widened and he shook his head. His voice, which used to be deep and husky, sounded weak and raspy. "Don't…please."

"How pathetic. Begging for the life of a friend, who would easily just as betray you." Voldemort took a step back, "crucio!"

Harry couldn't turn away as Aries writhed in pain, gasping for air. Harry was frantic, "no. Stop…you'll kill him!"

Voldemort smirked over his shoulder, "that's the point." He released the spell. His focus was entirely on Harry, so Voldemort didn't see that Alex had somehow managed to get free of his binds and was slinking towards Aries.

Voldemort was gazing directly into Harry's green eyes. "I know you…you're the twin with the power. I spoke to you years ago…my offer remains. Join me and you will get more power then ever imagined."

Harry swallowed. He could remember his first year and that voice, promising him riches and power. His eyes saw Aries drop into Alex's arms and his resolve grew strong. He spat at Voldemort, "I'd rather die!"

Voldemort screamed in rage. "That can be arranged." He brought up his wand but suddenly Alex tripped and Aries fell to the ground with a cry. Voldemort turned and in an instant, Harry knew that he had to do something.

It seemed like time slowed. The spell formed on Voldemort's lips as Harry broke free of his bonds and somehow managed to appearate directly in front of both Alex and Aries.

Harry only had one moment to meet Aries green eyes, an apology on his lips, as the green spell of the killing curse finally made it's mark.

Voldemort grinned in triumph as Alex and Aries watched Harry's body fall to the ground. Alex started to hyperventilate, while tears formed in his eyes. Aries crawled as fast as he could and gently gathered Harry's body in his arms. Even though he knew that Harry would come back, it didn't make this moment any tougher or sadder.

Aries gripped Alex's arm, "Alex…you have to beat him."

"What?" Alex hissed.

Aries gave a nod, "you can do it. Voldemort will die."

Alex closed his eyes and shook his head, "I can't do it. I'm not as strong as you think I am. I know I wasn't the one."

Aries gripped Alex's arm tighter, "I believe in you. Don't let your brother's sacrifice go to waste. Rid the world of this menace once and for all. Only you can do it." He picked up Harry's wand and handed it to Alex, who took it and nervously looked at it.

Alex saw something in Aries face that had him nod. He gripped his brother's wand, hard. He had heard that magical twins were special and were able to use each other's wands but him and Harry had never tried it. Would it work in this crucial moment? All his life, he had forsaken Harry and now he had lost the chance to ever gain that back. He would make sure that his brother's sacrifice would not be in vain.

Alex stood up and faced Voldemort, "You'll pay for that!"

Voldemort narrowed his eyes, "so the last Potter want's to fight? That will be my pleasure." He raised his wand, "crucio!"

Alex rolled to the side and quickly shot out, "bombarda." To his relief, the spell worked.

Voldemort waved his wand and a shield appeared, lazily reflecting the spell in a different direction.

"Advada Kedavra!"

"Expelliarmus!"

The two spells hit directly at the middle, causing both combatants to freeze. Alex was panting with holding the spell that had somehow turned golden and he wasn't sure he could hold it any longer. Just when he was about to give up, he felt a warmth press down on his hands, surging more power into the spell.

Alex wanted to cry. He didn't know how, but he knew it was Harry. Harry was giving him strength, even with their horrible past. Alex had never felt like a total jerk then right then, his brother loved his family unconditionally. It put Alex to shame and he vowed that he would never again turn his back on any members of his family.

Suddenly Voldemort screamed. Alex sucked in a breath as the spell hit Voldemort straight on and enveloped him in a blaze of golden light. When the light died down, not a whisper stirred. Alex's arm fell down to his side and he was breathing heavily.

The area was suddenly filled with screams of pain from the death eaters and Alex ripped his eyes away from what had been Voldemort's robes and ran over to Aries and Harry. "Accio cup!" The cup flew into his hands, leaving only the followers of a mad man.

* * *

Sirius was getting a bad feeling. A very bad feeling. Today was the day of the final task; a day he should have been looking forward to but couldn't because his son was still missing.

It had been weeks. There was little hope that he was still alive.

Sirius sighed and laid his head down on his desk. He and James had been at it non-stop since that day and there were no leads. He didn't want to think about the alternative.

"Hey."

Sirius lifted his head up to grunt at James. James nodded his head, "it's been one of those days, hasn't it?"

Sirius placed his head in his hands, "each day his chances of living go slim. I fear all we'll find is his body."

James rolled his eyes, "don't think that Sirius. It's not over yet. Tell you what, today is the final task so let's go and watch."

Sirius hesitated. "James…I don't-"

James shook his head, "Sirius, you need to get away. Plus, you haven't seen Regulas or Elara since the news. They could probably do with some of your strength."

James was right. Maybe, it would do him some good to see Reguals and Elara. He slowly nodded and James clapped his hands. "Well then, let's go."

They soon found themselves walking through the doors of Hogwarts and into the great hall, where it looked like lunch was taking place. Both Regulas and Elara saw Sirius at the same time and despite the eyes, ran out to meet him.

They crashed into him, one on each side. He sent James a rude gesture at his knowing smirk as the man walked away. Sirius wrapped his arms around his children, trying to calm them down.

Elara pulled away and glanced at her father, "I want Aries."

Sirius kissed her on the forehead, "I want him too, and I'm doing everything in my power to find him. We'll get him back."

Regulas glanced down at the ground, "but, what if-"

Sirius shook his head, "don't think that way. Aries is a strong kid who knows how to survive. We'll find him."

Regulas closed his eyes and gave a brief nod. Sirius kissed his forehead as well, giving each one a tight squeeze before he led them over to where the Potter's had taken residence. Teddy came over as well and put his arm around Regulas's shoulder in quiet comfort.

"Where is Lily?" Sirius peered at the group and didn't see the two.

James shrugged his shoulder. Jamie snorted into her pumpkin juice. "Mum sent Harry to the infirmary to take a nap. She also decided to stay and guard him because she didn't want him to sneak off, like certain people she knows."

James and Sirius both blushed and looked the other way. Sirius was pleased though, James and Lily had told him of the letter Jamie sent and it looked like they were on the road to recovery. Alex on the other hand had an indifferent look on his face.

A few hours later, Sirius and Marlene had joined the Potters in the stands, waiting for the task to start.

Lily shook her head, "I can't believe this. Whoever thought that this was a good idea?"

Both Harry and Alex had just entered the maze. Next to her Marlene nodded in agreement, "I agree. Even if the students are over age, it still seems to dangerous."

James sighed a long suffering sigh, as if they'd had this conversation many times before. "I can't tell you what goes on in the mind of Dumbledore but those at the ministry thought it would be a good way to improve foreign relationships."

Lily crossed her arms, "well I don't like it. I feel like something bad is going to happen."

Sirius couldn't say anything because he felt the same way. It was the same feeling from earlier, like the world knew what was about to take place. "Where's Moony?"

James tapped his chin and looked around just now realizing that the third part of their trio was missing, "yeah, now that you mention it, I don't see him."

Lily and Marlene rolled their eyes. "Merlin James. He found that book we've been searching for, so I sent him to go get it. He's not in the country. I told you this a week ago."

James blushed as he remembered that conversation. "Oh…that's right." At that moment red sparks flew into the air and at once the professors convened to the spot. Lily grimaced, "someone is hurt. I wonder who it was."

Her question was answered as the professors returned with not one, but two people and they could see that it was the females, who both seemed to be frozen.

The waiting seemed to go on for ages and the people in the stands were getting restless. Severus winced in pain and grabbed his arm, gathering Lily's attention. "Sev…what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Severus closed his eyes and shook his head. He pushed up his sleeve and everyone there got a glimpse of his mark. It was red and inflamed and as another rack of pain hit Severus, he hissed in pain.

Lily said something to Marlene, who nodded and soon Juliet was running up. She had a vile in her hands and gave it to the man, who after drinking it was able to calm down.

Juliet ran her fingers through his hair, "Sev…what does this mean?"

Severus was unable to answer because at that moment three beings appeared. A scream gradually began from the crowd as they realized who they were and panic started.

What was worse was that, two were unmoving.

Sirius slowly got up as did James as they recognized the bodies. Lily and Marlene gasped and suddenly they were both pushing people out of the way to get close. Sirius froze at the sight. Alex Potter was clutching both Aries and Harry to him with tears streaming down his face and trying to get sounds out but was unsuccessful.

Sirius's heart almost stopped when he laid eyes on his son. It was clear that Aries had been tortured, it was almost like every inch of him was covered in some kind of wound. He knelt down and didn't know what to do. Half of his body was covered in burns while the other half was covered in blood. He almost started to think the worst when suddenly he saw a chest rise. His heart started to thump harder as he began to realize that Aries was still alive. He wanted to weep in relief. He gently lifted Aries into his arms, ignoring the wince of pain. It was proof that his son still lived.

That being said, he suddenly noticed the third body. It was Harry.

James Potter was heartbroken. His eyes didn't want to believe what he was seeing. He didn't want to be in this nightmare. Surely, those bright green eyes would open and his son would once more in life and laughter. He should have acknowledged Alex but his eyes were locked on Harry. He slowly knelt down and gripped Harry to his chest, burying his face in his son's wild black hair. Sobs racked his body as he cried his self-loathing and hate at how his life had turned out. He would never again hear Harry's clear voice and would never get the chance to atone for his sins.

Harry had died thinking that his family didn't care for him.

That one thought, was enough to break James Potter completely. He heard voices all around him and a buzzing in his pocket that meant he was being called in, but none of that mattered.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his hair. To his immense surprise, green eyes were staring him in the face. "…Harry?"

Harry gave his dad a weak smile, "hey dad."

James didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. "How? How is this possible?"

Harry coughed and winced. "I don't know exactly…but can we move to the infirmary? I think I might need Madame-" his voice trailed off as he lost the battle to the darkness. For one minute, James panicked into thinking that Harry was gone, but Harry's rising chest was proof that Harry was still alive.

He gathered Harry in his arms, kissing him softly on the forehead and stood, meeting Sirius's eyes. Sirius had his own son in his arms and James shook his head at the question. Right now all that mattered was getting the boys to the infirmary, so that they could heal.

At that moment the body in Sirius's arms started to writhe and convulse. Sirius swore, "shit!" Suddenly Aries stopped. Sirius's heart froze, "he's not breathing. Juliet!" She heard his cry and immediately commanded Sirius to put him on the ground. A crowd gathered around as she knelt down beside the boy, and quickly covered her mouth with his, and pressing air into his body while pressing on his chest. She did this a few times until finally with a cough, Aries started to breath again. She waved her wand and conjured some metal device that she attached to Aries mouth. She glanced over at Sirius, "this will keep him breathing until we can get him to St. Mungos."

* * *

 **Cliffhanger…what's going to happen? Stay tuned! Also, I tried to show that Harry's family does love him even if they distanced themselves from him, I hope that came across.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello Everyone! Here is the last chapter…please enjoy! Contains Slash...read at your own risk.**

* * *

Harry slowly woke to a bright light. For a moment he didn't recognize where he was or what had happened to him. He vaguely remembered meeting someone at a place that suspiciously looked like King's cross but then he had been slammed back into reality.

His hand twitched and he opened his eyes even more, suddenly realizing that he was in the infirmary of Hogwarts. He slowly turned his head to see his mum sleeping in a chair beside him, her head laying on the bed.

At his movement, she woke and seeing that Harry was awake, her eyes filled with tears. "Harry…you're finally awake." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead, "we were so worried."

Madame Pomfrey bustled in, "Mr. Potter…I would advise you to never do something like that again. The three of you boys are going to be the death of me…I'm sure of it."

She waved her wand and Lily gripped Harry's hand. "Is he alright?"

Madame Pomfrey gave a brisk nod, "he's fine. He's good to go." That said, she bustled back to her office and shut the door.

Harry blinked and looked over at his mum, "how long have I been asleep?"

Lily frowned, "almost a week."

"Mum…what happened?"

Lily bit her lip, "no one is sure. Alex won't say anything until you're awake and Aries is in no condition to speak, but somehow Voldemort is gone."

Harry sucked in a gasp. "Gone? You mean…"

Lily nodded, "the aurors were called out to this place called Little Hangleton and found the body of Peter Pettigrew along with other known death eaters and the remains of Voldemort. He's truly gone."

Harry closed his eyes in relief. He wasn't sure how, but someone defeated Voldemort. It was then that his brain registered what his mum had said. "Where's Aries?"

Lily gave a sad smile, "Aries was too hurt to be treated here…he was taken to . He still hasn't woken up." She wiped a tear away, "it was horrible. He'd been under the cruciatus curse at least once a day, had multiple knife wounds, bitten by some kind of snake, he was malnourished and…and somehow was exposed to fiendfyre. The healers are still in wonder on how he was able to survive."

Harry knew that Aries had been tortured but he didn't realize it was to that extent. Suddenly Harry wanted to see his friend, it was urgent. "Mum. I want to see him."

Lily nodded as if she knew Harry's reaction would be like this. "Come on…everyone is already there."

She grabbed his hand and gently led him over to the fireplace, "St. Mungo's." With his mum's help, they made their way to the wizard hospital. The minute Harry stepped out of the fireplace, he could tell all the eyes were on him.

"Harry!" Elara Black was the first to notice him and ran, wrapping her arms around his waist, crying into his stomach. He patted her on the shoulder, "hey now…it's alright. I'm alright."

Jamie was next. "Harry…don't do that ever again. I just got you back…I don't want to lose you."

Harry smiled at his sister, "I promise…it won't happen anymore." He kissed her on the cheek and she hugged him, burying her face in his chest. It was nice to finally be able to show the love he's always had for his family.

His eyes landed on Alex. Alex was shifting his weight from side to side and seemed to be nervous. Harry opened his mouth to speak when Alex suddenly rushed forward and wrapped his arms tight around Harry's neck. Harry followed suit and the two brother's simply basked in each other's presence. Alex finally pulled back, "I've been such a jerk. I treated you like dirt and yet, you still cared for me." Alex sniffed, "when I saw you die, it was like my whole world stopped. At that moment I realized that I had ruined any chance to know you. I'm sorry and I hope that you can forgive me, because I want to be the brother you can be proud of."

Harry had stayed silent throughout the entire exchange. "There's nothing to forgive. I've always loved you and would want nothing more then to finally be your brother."

Alex nodded and the boys hugged again. Harry was pulled away by none other then his father. James locked eyes with his oldest, relishing in their beautiful green color before pulling Harry flush to his chest and wrapping is arms around the boy.

Harry stiffened but relaxed and buried his face in his father's chest. He closed his eyes as his father began to speak, "Harry…I'm so proud of the man you've become…this whole experience has shown what a fool I've been…I love you, son."

Harry let out a breath, he hadn't been realized he was holding. He hadn't heard those words out of his father's mouth for a long time. It was like a balm on his soul and it calmed him. "I love you too dad." He felt his father kiss his head, and then he pulled away from his father, "I want to see Aries."

James nodded and led Harry down a hallway. Both Sirius and Marlene were waiting by the door and both of them wrapped their arms around him, the minute they saw him. Sirius cuffed his shoulder while Marlene gave him a kiss on the cheek as Harry slowly entered the room.

The room was a single and Aries was restfully sleeping on the bed next to the window. There were flowers and cards placed around his table but Harry only had eyes for Aries.

It seemed that most of his wounds were healed, and gauze covered his eye while his body was covered in gauze as the healers worked to heal the burns of the cursed fire and nutrient potions were hooked up to his body. Harry made his way to the chair and sat down, gripping his friend's hand. He let the tears fall, "Aries…I need you to come back…I miss you."

* * *

Aries gradually came to awareness. His eyes slowly opened and landed on a head of black hair. Harry seemed to be sleeping, so Aries moved his hand to gently brush back his friend's hair.

The movement caused Harry to wake. "Aries?"

Aries gave Harry a smile, "Hey."

Harry closed his eyes as the tears fell. Harry leaned forward and rested his head on Aries's chest, "…please don't ever do that again. I don't know what I would do if you died. These last few mouths have been torture."

Aries smiled, "it's alright Harry." He closed his eyes, "I should have told you your fate a long time ago and for that I'm sorry."

Harry shook his head, "that doesn't matter anymore." He gripped Aries hand, "I was so worried that I would never get the chance to set things right," he took a deep breath, "I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Aries moved so that his forehead touched Harry's and met those green eyes, "there's nothing to forgive…you're my best friend…never forget that."

Harry swallowed and nodded. There was a sudden beeping sound and soon the door was pushed open to revel a healer and Aries family and Harry slipped out. Aries grinned at his father, who came over and buried his face in Aries hair, "promise me…you'll never do that again."

Aries nodded. "How long was I out?" His mother came over and kissed his cheek, "we were so worried and you've been here for almost two mouths." She turned to the healer, "what's the status?"

The healer was looking over his charts, "it seems that young Lord Black will need to spend a few more days in the hospital as we work on those burns, but after a few days he should be good as new."

Marlene held Aries hand while Sirius kept his hand in his son's hair, "what about…the you know what?"

Aries rolled his eyes. "Dad…it's a tattoo…it won't go away."

Sirius frowned at his son's statement. The healer coughed, "well, it's like your son says…the magic used made it permanent…there's really nothing that can be done." The healer excused himself, shutting the door behind him.

Sirius sighed, "do you know what carrying that mark means?"

Marlene rolled her eyes, "Sirius-"

Aries cut her off, "I know dad…it's fine."

Sirius opened his mouth about to say something when he must have thought better about it and just shut it. He leaned down and kissed Aries on the forehead, "we'll come back in a few days. The aurors are going to want to see your memories."

Aries nodded. He had figured they would need to see them. "What's being done? Are the death eaters-"

Sirius held up a hand, "take it easy Aries. You're still in the hospital. I'll tell you everything once you're all healed."

Aries pouted but accepted his father's answer. Sirius stopped at the door, "now, there are a few people who have been waiting patiently." He opened the door and leading the front was Blaise, who didn't look happy. Blaise turned around and held up a hand, "alright you little heathens…the boyfriend gets to go first."

Aries snorted into his hand as he heard Elara, Regulas, Jude, Jamie and Teddy all moan about the unfairness. Blaise simply shook his head, "nope…that's not being unfair…it's being truthful."

Sirius rolled his eyes. Marlene smiled and the door shut behind them. Aries was quiet as Blasie stalked forward. Blaise practically grabbed him to his chest, "what were you thinking? Do you have any idea what you've done to me?"

Aries pushed Blaise away, "it's not like I planned on getting captured. That was a total bump in my plans."

Blaise snorted. "But that didn't stop you from achieving the ultimate goal, now did it?"

Aries raised an eyebrow, "true, but really? Can't you cut me some slack? I'm the one that's injured. Now come and give me some love."

Blaise merely smirked but obediently bent down and claimed Aries lips with his own. Aries moaned and Blaise used it as a way to gently take control. Merlin, Aries had missed this…Blaise was something else. His hands started roaming and Blaise pulled away with a chuckle, "oh no you don't. Not any of that until you're healed."

Aries pouted. Blaise laughed and kissed him on the cheek, "you look so cute when you pout. Now let's let the little heathens in."

Aries laughed as Blaise opened the door and the room filled with his family. It was something he wouldn't change for the world.

A few days later found Aries, Harry and Alex all sitting in their father's offices at the ministry of magic. The magical world was going haywire because Voldemort was gone but no-one really knew what had happened. The only people who had been available to provide the details were injured and unavailable to comment.

Aries was in the middle, between Harry and Alex, who to Aries surprise where actually getting alone. A smile played on his lips as he watched the two banter back and forth. They still had a long way to go but they were making progress.

James coughed. "Now…you three are all here so that we can go over your memories." He looked at Aries, "now, we've already gotten Harry's and Alex's so all we need now are yours, Aries."

Aries bit his lip. He wasn't sure where to begin. Sirius sensed his hesitation and sighed, "James…before you dive into Aries memory…there's something you should know."

James looked perplexed. "Alright. What is it?"

Sirius glanced over at Alex and Aries shook his head, "it's fine dad. Alex has a right to know as well."

Sirius gazed at Aries before closing his eyes, "very well." By the time that Sirius was done with his tale both James and Alex were looking over at Aries with double expressions of shock.

Alex tapped his finger on his chin, "so that's why you always get so misty eyed with mum…you never knew her, didn't you?"

Aries nodded. "Yeah…all my life, I'd only heard stories about Lily Potter and so when I was finally able to meet her…it was like a dream come true."

James was having a hard time holding back tears. What Aries had gone through in his old reality was enough to break even the strongest of men. The fact that he still remained strong made James proud of the man his pseudo-son had become. He coughed, "let's get those memories…shall we?"

Aries nodded and closing his eyes, held his wand up to his temple. He thought of his stay at casa Voldemort and more. He pulled out a glowing blue string and deposited it into the vile.

James took it and led the boys down to the courtroom. Aries could hear voices, so that meant that the full Wizenmagot had been called. James opened the door and Aries stepped into the room. The purple robed lords and ladies of the Wizenmagot were all seated around the room with Dumbledore sitting in the center. His mum, and aunts were seated a little to the side next to Remus Lupin and Severus Snape as well as the children. Daphne, Hermione and Blaise were next to his family all looking between worried and anxious.

Madame Bones rang a gavel, "order in the court. We are here today to witness the events leading up to the destruction of Voldemort." She peered down at James, "do you have the memories?"

James nodded. "Yes, Director Bones." He waved his hand and someone scurried forward carrying a pensive and James dumped Aries memories into the swirling liquid. "This pensive now holds the memories from all three boys. Now be warned that this might be highly gruesome." With a wave of his wand, the liquid in the bowl spread out and grew large enough to let the whole room view the memory.

The lights went down and they began to play. The first memory was from Aries. Aries closed his eyes as it started to play. He could hear the gasps from the audience as certain things were reveled, like his parselmouth ability. He could hear women crying as his torture played out in real time. It finally ended with Aries summoning the fiendfyre and barely escaping from the old mansion.

There was a tense silence, and the next memory started to play. This one was Harry's and began with the third task and ended with his death. Again, he could hear the women crying as Harry selfishly gave his life for his friend and brother.

The final memory was Alex's and it told the same story of Voldemort's rebirth, showcasing Harry's sacrifice, Aries pleas to finish Voldemort off and finally ending with Alex's duel with the dark lord.

When the lights came up, no one dared to speak. All eyes were trained on the three young boys who had endured more then what was humanly possible. Madame Bones cleared her throat, "well…I think we all know and are eternally grateful to what these young boys have done for the wizarding world. I think the order of merlin, first class will be enough…all in favor?"

Her eyes roved over the entire courtroom and every hand in the courtroom was raised. Madame Bones nodded, then started clapping and soon everyone was clapping and shouting their thanks.

Harry blushed and ducked behind Aries, who laughed. "Come on Harry…you're a hero."

Harry stuck his tongue out, "only thanks to you." He suddenly smiled, "I couldn't have done this without you."

Alex rolled his eyes at their display. Sometimes, Aries and Harry acted like they were in a relationship. Aries smirked, "I do believe Mr. Potter that your brother is laughing at us…why don't we," he leaned down to whisper in Harry's ear. Alex saw the grins starting to form and slowly started backing up. "Hey…ganging up on me isn't fair."

It was no use. Both Aries and Harry had identical grins on their faces that promised Alex a world of pain. Alex suddenly turned and ran out the courtroom with Harry and Aries close behind.

James and Sirius merely gaped before they laughed. "Well…I wonder what they're going to do?" James turned to Sirius, "should we go find out?"

Sirius smirked, "nah…I've got something better."

James raised an eyebrow in question and Sirius simply waved his wand. A smokey vapor formed in front of the two marauders and James could see Alex just ahead of Harry and Aries, when all of a sudden they all three tripped curtsey of a trip jinx.

Sirius waved the image away and James couldn't help but laugh. "How long did it take you to set that up?"

Sirius winked, "I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you. But just between you and me…it took me all day to configure it to their signatures."

* * *

Harry shook his head. "I changed my mind. I don't want to do this."

Aries laughed and pushed Harry through the door of Gringotts. "No can do, Harry. Remember what Godric said? It's time to do this." Aries pushed Harry all the way to a free teller, "we'd like an inheritance test done today."

The goblin stared at Harry, who swallowed. Finally the goblin pushed away from the desk, "follow me."

He led the two boys deep into the bowls of the bank and Harry was getting more and more creeped out. Aries placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, "relax. It will be fine."

The goblin stopped in front of a door and Harry gingerly followed the goblin. Aries quietly shut the door behind them. The goblin turned to Harry, "alright," he held out a piece of parchment, "all we need is your blood."

Harry raised an eyebrow, "that's it?"

The goblin smirked, "were you thinking of something else? If you'd like, I can certainly arrange for-"

Harry quickly shook his head, "no, it's fine." He slashed his hand and let a drop of blood fall on the parchment. It only took a few minutes for inky black writing to slowly appear on the page. Harry's eyes grew wide as his heritage was reveled and fainted.

Aries rolled his eyes and glanced at the parchment. It looked like Godric was right. He knelt down next to Harry, "enervate!"

Harry opened his eyes, "Aries…it…Godric was right."

Aries smirked at his friend, "well, this just got interesting. What are you going to do now, Lord Gryffindor?"

Harry glared at Aries at the use of his apparent title. "Nothing," a gleam came into his eyes, "Lord Slytherin."

Aries narrowed his eyes, "hey now…"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, "if I'm Gryffindor then that makes you Slytherin, especially since you can talk to snakes."

There was a thud.

Aries glanced over at the goblin, "I think you broke him."

Harry cringed, "well…what should we do?"

Aries shrugged his shoulders, "we should just leave."

Harry was incredulous, "Aries! We just can't leave him there."

"What do you want us to do?" Aries asked, "he's a goblin. I'm sure that he would not appreciate us using wizard magic on him to wake him up."

"Right you are."

Both boys turned to see the goblin getting up. The goblin snorted, "you can leave. I'll make sure that this is taken care of." The goblin snapped his fingers and handed a bag to Harry, "this links directly to your vault and this," he then pulled a ornate box from the desk, "is the heir's ring." He opened it and Harry could see the ring of Gryffindor. It featured a red griffin on a black background with a deep gold eye.

He swallowed and slowly placed it on his finger. There was a flash of light and it re-sized to fit Harry's finger.

They turned to leave when the goblin called out, "Lord Black…this is for you."

Aries turned around and the goblin was holding out another ornate box. Aries took it and opened it to see another ring. This one featured a large black snake on a silver background. Aries swallowed and placed it on his finger. As with Harry's it re-sized to fit his finger.

The goblin gave him another sack and bowed, "I look forward to seeing what you young lords are able to accomplish."

The goblin shut the door behind them. Harry turned to Aries, "did that really just happen?"

Aries smiled with a nod, "well now you only have one last thing to do. Are you prepared?"

Harry grinned and nodded, "I've been ready since our third year."

Aries laughed and clapped Harry on the shoulder, "then it's time for a family dinner."

The boys appeared back to Potter Manor where a family gathering was taking place. Lily, Marlene, and Alice had taken charge and were cooking up a storm that smelled divine. James and Sirius had gotten a pick-up game of quidditch going by the time Harry and Aries had returned. Hermione was currently in conversation with Juliet about going into Healer training and possibly working at Hogwarts. Blaise and Daphne were sitting underneath one of the trees quietly talking about what to do after Hogwarts.

Harry gave a slight nod to Aries, who winked at Harry before heading to the fire to make a floo call. Harry wiped his hands on his pants, as he walked over to his girlfriend. He plopped down next to her, "hey babe."

Daphne grinned at Harry, "Harry! Where did you go?"

Harry smiled and grabbed Daphne close, "that's for me to know and you to find out." He kissed her ear, "but right now, I have something to tell you."

Daphne smiled, "ok. What is it?"

Harry was aware that everyone's eyes were now on him and Daphne and Blaise slipped away. Harry took a deep breath and held her hands, "Daphne…I've loved you from the moment that I met you and I know that I will love you until the day I die."

Daphne's eyes started to fill with tears as Harry moved to get down on one knee. Daphne gasped and clasped a hand over her mouth as he went on, "you're the only girl I can even think about spending the rest of my life with…" he pulled a ring box from his pocket, "will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

Daphne was crying in earnest now. She nodded through her tears of joy and Harry slipped the ring on her finger and stood up, gathering her in his arms as his lips bent down to reach hers. When she finally pulled back, she took a look at her finger. The ring was simple and classy just like her and it was perfect.

"Congratulations!"

Daphne turned in surprise, "Astoria!" She turned to Harry, who smiled, "I wanted your family to be here." Daphne was struck again with how much she loved Harry and kissed him before running towards her little sister. Her parents were there as well and she couldn't be happier.

Lily came over and kissed Harry on the cheek, "that was so sweet. She's a lovely girl."

Harry smiled down at his mum, "thanks mum."

Lily smiled, "I guess I should take this time to meet the in-laws." She started to walk off and Harry was filled with warmth as his parents began to make the Greengrasses welcome.

"I didn't think you had it in you to propose in such a public place. Well done."

"I agree. Aries didn't tell me this was happening."

Harry's eye twitched as both Hermione and Blaise spoke up from beside him. He crossed his arms, "for your information this is really just family and Aries didn't tell you because I promised him pain."

Blaise laughed, "yeah..I bet." He slung his arm around them both, "let's go be social."

* * *

Later that night, Aries crawled into bed and smirked at the lump that was there. "Blaise…what a surprise."

Blaise grinned, "oh you know…just your usual kidnapping."

Aries raised an eyebrow, "kidnapping? I don't think my parents will take to kindly to that word."

Blaise smirked, "well…they already know."

Aries laughed, "merlin Blaise. Where are we going?"

Blaise's answer was to just lean down and capture Aries mouth with his own. Aries wasn't even aware that they had been port-keyed out. When he opened his eyes, he could see where they were.

He wrapped his arms around Blaise, "well my sexy Italian…how did you know that a vacation in Italy was just what I wanted?"

Blaise smirked, "you'll never know…can't give away all my secrets."

Aries laughed and kissed Blaise's chin, "you Slytherin."

Blaise smiled, "of course." His hand started moving and slowly Aries's shirt was discarded. Aries hissed, it would be the first time that Blaise would see that mark and he wasn't sure what he would think.

Blaise grew quiet as he regarded the dark mark. Aries couldn't breath. Slowly, Blaise bent down and Aries shivered as he felt Blaise's lips gently touch the mark. "You're so beautiful…this only goes to show that my lover is strong and I couldn't be prouder."

Aries let go of his breath, "Blaise." He was filled with love for Blaise and wanted nothing more then to fill his lover inside of him. "I want you so bad."

Blaise smirked as if that was his plan and soon Aries was lost in a haze of passion and love as Blaise sought to give what Aries wished for.

* * *

When Aries returned to England he had one more issue to take care of. He was making his way to the headmaster's office at Hogwarts. He stared at the gargoyle and hissed a command. The gargoyle slid open and smirking, he walked up the stairs.

He opened the door and carefully regarded Dumbledore with his arms crossed. Dumbledore sighed, "what can I do for you Lord Black?"

Aries pursed his lips, "I think you know why I am here. It is time to give it up."

Dumbledore slowly got up and made his way to a cabinet behind his desk. "I never would have thought that you were the master of death. I must say it was certainly a surprise."

Aries snorted, "don't play nice headmaster. I know your games." Aries stepped close to Dumbledore and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "the next time you decide to play god with people's lives…remember that you almost destroyed this world. If it wasn't for me, then Harry would have destroyed you all." He pulled back with the wand in his hands and after a curt nod, he was gone.

Outside, he gripped the wand and glanced down at the small piece of wood. Throughout the years this small piece of wood had caused many lives to be lost and it was time to put an end to it's story. He closed his eyes with a smirk and snapped the wand in two. He then slowly engulfed it in flames and he watched as the most powerful wand in the world, slowly burned away into ash.

"Well done Harry Potter. Enjoy the rest of your life and don't come to quickly." A voice whispered in his ear and he knew it was Death.

He put his hands in his pocket, his work was done.

* * *

 **So that's it…this has been a joy to write and thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and liked it. It means a lot to me.**


	15. Last Chapter

**Hello Everyone! I wasn't going to write an epilogue but I changed my mind. This is just a short little one that takes place some years after the end of the story. Enjoy!**

* * *

It was nighttime. The moon was shining bright and full on a beautiful manor that was situated in the moors of England. A candle was burning low, casting shadows on the lone figure that was lying on the bed.

His breathing was even and slow and those gathered in the room knew it was only a matter of time before he took his last breath.

Slowly, the golden-green eyes opened and they landed on the one figure who meant more to him then life. "Harry…"

Harry nodded and as if knowing what the man wanted pushed the rest of the crowd out into the hallway leaving only the two. Harry slowly came over to the bed and sat down beside his oldest friend. "It's time. Isn't it?"

The eye's closed and he nodded.

Harry clenched his fists tight, his own eyes closing. He couldn't imagine life without his best friend. They had been together for so long that it was second nature to be together.

There was a sudden chill in the room that blew out the candle and Harry tensed. He relaxed when he felt a hand rest over his arm. Glancing down, he saw those eye's looking straight at him with a hardened resolve.

"…Harry. Death is but the next great adventure. We will meet again."

Harry softly laughed and his eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Only you would find death an adventure." Harry gripped his friend's hand, "I guess this is…goodbye."

The golden-green eye's closed and the breathing slowly came to a stop. Tears trickled down Harry's face as he leaned over and softly kissed his friend on the forehead. He closed his eyes tight and buried his face in his friends black hair and whispered his last words, "we will meet again…my brother."

The body vanished into a soft golden color and Harry's hand hovered over the now empty bed.

Aries Orion Black was gone.

* * *

 **So that's it. The story is done. Thank you to everyone for the support.**


	16. AN: NOT A NEW CHAPTER

Okay. So, after reading the reviews and doing a little thinking I have decided to rewrite this story from the beginning. I've taken everyone's suggestions and hopefully it will make the story easier to read and follow. Stay tuned...


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